
Giass- 



Booki 



\-A r„ 



V I E TT 



'THE U N I T E D ' S T A T E S ; 



FOR THE USE OF SCHOOLS AND FAMILSES 



WITH MAPS AND ENURAVINGS. 



BY REV. HOSEA HILDRETH 

AUTHOR OF BOOKS FOR ^' NEW-HAMPSHIRE " AND ^^ MASSACHUSETTS ' 
CHILDREN. 




BOSTON : 

PUBLISHED BY CARTER AND HENDEE. 

BALTIMORE . 
CHARLES CARTER, 



1830. 



DISTRICT OF MASSACHUSETTS— to wit : 
District Clerk's Office. 

Be jt REMEMBERED; that on the thirtieth day of July, a. d. 1830, in 
the fifty-fifth year of the Independence of the United States of 
America, Carter Sf Hendee, of the said district, have deposited in this 
office the title of a book, the right whereof they claim as proprietors, in 
the words following, to wit : 

" A View of the United States 5 for the use of Schools and Families. 
With Maps and Engravings. By Rev. Hosea Hildreth, Author of Books 
for ^' New-Hampshire'' and ^' Massachusetts'' Children." 

In conformity to the act of the Congress of the United States, entitled, 
" An act for the encouragement of learning, by securing the copies of 
maps, charts, and books, to the authors and proprietors of such copies, 
during the times therein mentioned 5" and also to an act, entitled, " An 
act supplementary to an act^ entitled, an act for the encouragement of 
learning, by securing the copies of maps, charts, and books to the authors 
and proprietors of such copies during the times therein mentioned 5 and 
extending the benefits thereof to the arts of designing, engraving, and 
etching historical and other print*. 

TlMO W BAvm 5 Clerk of the District of 



':.&4 



Press of Carter, Andrews, & Co .Lancaster, Mass. 



, H^- 





I 



INTRODUCTION. 



In the education of young persons it is 
highly important to associate their duties as 
men and citizens with the aspect, history, in- 
stitutions, and pursuits of the country to which 
they belong. For this reason I propose to 
give a view of the United States for the enter- 
tainment and instruction of youth. 

In the first place, I shall give a view of the 
country as it appeared before it was settled by 
white men, including some account of the an- 
cient inhabitants. I shall then give a general 
description of the country as it now is; and 
afterward a particular account of the several 
states in their order, beginning with the oldest. 
In the course of the work I shall endeavour to 
explain the government of the United States ; 
and shall speak of the duties, moral and civil, 
which every good citizen is concerned to know 
and perform. 



IV INTRODUCTION. 

An important object of the work will be to 
impress the minds of the young with the dis- 
tinguishing goodness of Divine Providence in 
giving them birth and dwelling in this country, 
and thus to lead them to consider and adopt a 
course of conduct most obviously connected 
with their own happiness and with the general 
welfare » 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 



CHAPTER L 

boundaries of the United States — Appearance of the 
country before its settlement by white men. 

The United States of America are a vast country, 
containing by far the best part of the American continent. 
They are bounded on the north, by what is called Brit- 
ish America ; on the east, by the Atlantic Ocean ; on the 
south, by the Gulf of Mexico and a country of the same 
name ; and on the west, by the Pacific Ocean. 

By looking at the map, it will be seen that this exten- 
sive country is divided into two parts by the River Mis- 
sisippi which flows through it from north to south. It 
is in that part of the country wdiich is east of the Mis- 
sisippi, that most of the people of the United States are 
settled. The country west of the Missisippi, except in 
a few places on its banks, and along some of its principal 
branches, is still destitute of white inhabitants. 

It is now a little more than two hundred years since 
white men began to setde in the United States. When 
they first came hither, there were no towns, villages, 
roads, nor cultivated lands, as we have them now. The 
Country was one vast wilderness ; it was almost all cov- 
ered with woods ; the people were savage, and the ani- 
mals all wild. 
1 



b VIEW QF THE UNITED STATES. 

Near the sea, however, and on the borders ol creek-s 
and rivers, running into it, there were then in many 
places, as there now are, considerable tracts of land oc- 
casionally overflowed by the tide, and destitute of trees. 
These tracts are now called salt marshes ; and they pro- 
duce a valuable grass of which salt hay is made. Far 
in the country towards the Missisippi, there were also 
meadows destitute of trees, and covered wholly with 
thick, tall grass. These meadows are now called prai- 
ries.^ Some of them are small, and others of very great 
extent. There were, moreover, many places where the 
trees had been cleared away by the ancient inhabitants, 
for the purpose of raising their corn and vegetables, as 
well as for placing their houses. But the land not cov- 
ered with woods, made up a very small part of the whole. 
Taketi altogether, the country east of the Missisippi ap* 
peared like one great, extended forest, abundantly sup- 
plied with wild beasts and wild fowls ; but very thinly 
inhabited by various tribes of men, whom the white peo- 
ple called Indians. The ancient inhabitants were called 
Indians, because when America was first discovered by 
white people it was supposed to be a part of the country 
known by the name of India. 

In the first and second chapters of the Bible we read, 
you know, of the formation of the first man and of the 
first woman ; and in the New Testament we are told, 
that " God hath made of one blood all the nations to 
dwell on the face of the earth."f All the nations of the 
earth have descended from Adam and Eve, as the first 
parents. But how the ancient inhabitants of this country 
came hither we are unable to tell ; and how long they 

* Prairie is a French word signifying meadow. t Acts, 17. 26. 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 7 

had been here, when the white people came, we are also 
unable to tell. The Indians themselves, being savage 
and ignorant, could give no very probable account of the 
way and manner in which their forefathers came to 
America. Learned men have taken much pains to find 
out how they came, and have mentioned several ways in 
which they possibly might have come ; but this matter 
is still very doubtful. All we know with certainty about 
it is, that the Indians were already here when the white 
people arrived, and appeared to have been here a great 
many ages."^ 

How are the United States bounded ? 
How, and by what, is the country divided ? 
In what part are the white people settled ? 
When did they begin to settle in the United States ? 
What was the appearance of the country '? 
Why were the ancient inhabitants called Indians ? 
What is said of the time and manner in which the ancieut inhabitants 
came to America 1 



CHAPTER 11. 

Description of the ancient Inhabitants. 

The Indians were a tall, well-formed people, of a 
reddish brown, or copper complexion, with black eyes. 
Their hair was long, straight, and black, and their teeth 
were very white and beautiful. They possessed great 
activity and strength, were capable of severe toil, and of 
going long without food. But, like all savage nations, 
they were fond of ease ; and, except when compelled to 

* The most probable supposition is, that the Indians came to America 
from the northeast part of Asia, where the shores of Asia and America 
approach near to each other. 



8 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

engage In war or in hunting and fishing, they passed most 
of their time in idleness. 

The houses of the Indians were small, smoky huts, 
made in a rude manner of young trees and bushes, and 
covered with bark, or with mats. These huts were call- 
ed wigwams ; and commonly had only one room, and 
neither floor nor chimney. The fire was made on the 
ground in the middle of the wigwam, and the smoke 
passed through a hole made for that purpose in the roof, 
or top. The Indians sat and slept on mats and skins, 
and in the winter they lay with the feet toward the fire. 
They had neither stools, chairs, nor tables, and their 
utensils for cooking were very rude. Their pots for 
boiling were hollowed out of soft stone, but were not 
strong enough to bear the fire : water was made to boil 
in them by putting small, red hot stones into it. Flesh 
and fish were broiled on the coals, or roasted by being 
held to the fire on the end of a stick. These made up 
the greater part of their food. They raised, however, a 
few squashes and beans, and a little corn ; and gathered 
berries and wild fruits from the woods. 

The dress of the Indians consisted of skins and furs ; 
but in the summer they went almost naked. They wore 
a sort of shoes called moccasons, which they ornamented 
with great care and art. The men plucked out their 
beards and cut ofl:^ their hair, except a lock on the top of 
the head. This they twisted with feathers and beads. 
They were in the habit of painting their bodies with dif- 
ferent colours, as black, white, and red, especially on 
going to war. 

The chief employment of the men was hunting and 
fishing. In hunting they made use of the bow and arrow^ 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 9 

and could shoot with great skill. Their bows were made 
of ash, walnut, hickory, or other suitable wood, and their 
bow-strings of the.sinews of animals. The heads of their 
arrows were made of flint-stone, and fastened on in a 
very curious manner, with the sinews of the deer. Ani- 
mals were also caught by the Indians in various snares 
and traps. Fish were taken with hooks made of bone, 
or else in a sort of net made of twigs. The Indians had 
no iron, nor other hard metal. Their axes, hatchets, 
and chisels were of stone. They made beautiful ca- 
noes, or boats, by hollowing out the bodies of large trees, 
or more often by sewing together large pieces of birch 
bark, and stiffening them with strips of wood. 

While the men did the hunting and fishing, the women 
were obliged to bring water and wood, and cultivate the 
ground. They had no better plough than a stick, and 
no better hoe than a clam shell. The little corn they 
raised was pounded into coarse meal, and made into 
bread, which was baked on a fiat stone before the fire. 

In the manufacture of weapons and ornaments, the 
Indians discovered considerable ingenuity and skill ; but, 
in general, they were extremely ignorant, and destitute of 
all the luxuries, and of most the conveniences, of life. 
They knew nothing of writing or reading ; and were en- 
tirely ignorant of the true religion. They paid a sort of 
worship however to two imaginary beings, whom they 
considered as gods, the one good and the other evil. 
But all their ideas of the world to come were very er- 
roneous. 

The Indians were grave and dignified in look and ges- 
ture, reserved and silent. They were very revengeful,, 
and never forgave an injury; they were very grateful,,, 
1^ 



10 YIEW OF THE trNlTED STAlTirS^* 

and never forgot a benefit. They were artful, crafty, 
fierce, and easily offended ; but they were kind and hos- 
pitable to strangers. Their principal amusement was 
dancing. This exercise was accompanied with songs and 
a rude kind of musick. They had many kinds of dances ; 
but the most famous was the war dance, in which they 
were armed and painted, and went through with the rep- 
resentation of a battle, or of a number of battles. 

From shells of different colours, found upon the sea 
shore and elsewhere, the Indians manufactured beads, 
which, when strung together, were called wampum. By 
uniting several strings of these beads, they made belts, 
which they often wrought with much labour and art, and 
considered of great value. Wampum was used as mon- 
ey, and for other important purposes. Whenever peace 
was made between tribes at war with each other, belts of 
wampum were exchanged between the warriors. 

The Indians were extremely fond of smoking tobacco. 
The bowls of their pipes were of stone, and often ingeni- 
ously wrought ; the stems were of wood, and highly or- 
namented. When peace was concluded between two 
hostile tribes, or other friendly business transacted, the 
calumet, or pipe of peace, was smoked with much cere- 
mony. The Indians were divided into a great number 
of tribes, some pretty large, and many very small. Their 
little towns or villages, built without order, were com- 
monly placed near the sea, a lake, or the falls of a 
river, for the convenience of fishing. Those who ex- 
celled most in hunting and war became sachems, or 
chiefs, and governed the tribes. The Indians were much 
addicted to war, which they always carried on with the 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 



11 



greatest hatred, rage, and cruelty. In these respects, 
however, they resembled all savage nations. 

What is said of the form and complexion of the Indians ? Of the manner 
of passing their time ? Of their dwellings, cooking utensils, and food ? 
Of their dress and personal appearance ? Of their manner of taking an- 
imals and fish ? 

By whom was the ground cultivated, and what was raised upon it ? 

What is said of their education and religion 1 Of their manners and dis- 
position ? Of their money? Of their ceremonies when they made peace? 

How were they formed into societies, and by whom were they govern- 
ed, &c,? 



CHAPTER III. 

Wild Animalsj Birds^ and Forest-trees. 
Of the wild animals formerly found in the United 
States, and most of which are still numerous in the un- 
settled parts of the country, the most remarkable are the 
buffalo, deer, wolf, bear, catamount, panther, and beaver. 




BUFFALO. 



The buffalo in size is equal to an ox. Its colour is a 
brownish gray, and much of its hair is fine, like wool. 



12 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

The head of the buffalo is covered with long, shaggy, and 
coarse hair, the horns are small and short, the eyes little 
and fierce, and the animal altogether has a very wild and 
savage appearance. The flesh of the buffalo is excellent 
for food, and the skins, commonly called buffalo robes, 
are very valuable. Buffalos feed and move together in 
vast herds ; they were formerly found in almost every 
part of the United States, except New-England ;* but 
they are now rarely seen east of the River Missisippi. 

Of the deer there are various kinds, namely, the red 
deer, moose, or elk, and some others. These animals 
live together in herds, and feed upon grass and herbs in 
the summer, and in the winter, upon the bark and buds 
of trees. The male of these animals has branching horns, 
which fall off every year. The female is without horns, 
and the flesh of both is very valuable for food. The 
males of the moose or elk are frequently taller than a 
horse, with straight and slender legs, and hoofs like a 
sheep. Animals of the deer kind leap or run with great 
speed. 

The bears are of two kinds, the black bear and the 
brown bear. Both kinds are nearly of the same size, 
and in shape, as well as in size, somewhat resemble a 
hog. The black bear has short legs, and is commonly 
very fat. He feeds upon roots and plants, upon corn, 
berries, and grapes. The body of the brown bear is 
leaner and his legs longer. He feeds upon the flesh of 
the deer and other animals. 

Wolves were formerly very common, and in the un- 
settled parts of the country are so still. In shape and 
size they resemble large dogs. Their colour is gray. 

* New-England is a name given to the six northeastern states^ 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 13 

They feed principally upon the deer ; but in newly set- 
tled countries they are often very destructive to flocks 
of sheep. 



WOLF. 

The catamount and panther are both fierce animals of 
the cat kind, and in many respects much alike. The 
catamount was found principally in the northeastern part 
of the United States, and the panther in the south and 
west. Their shape is very much like that of the com- 
mon cat ; but their size is much greater. Their legs are 
short, and their paws large and armed with stout, long 
claws. They conceal themselves among the branches 
of trees, and leap out with amazing swiftness upon their 
prey. The catamount is now rarely seen ; but the pan- 
ther is common in the western forests. These are the 
most terrifick of our animals. 

One of the most singular and interesting animals of 
this country is the beaver, celebrated for its fine and 
beautiful fur. Beavers build their winter dwellings near 
the edge of a pond, which they form by damming up a 
small stream. Their houses are constructed of sticks 



14 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 



and mud, have regular arched roofs, and are sometimes 
of two or three stories. The lower story is under water, 
and is filled with a supply of food for the winter, consist- 
ing of bark, young willow twigs, and of other soft wood. 
The beaver is now very rarely found in those parts of 
the country which have been settled by white people. 
In the older settlements it is never seen. 

Beside the animals already mentioned, there are sev- 
eral kinds of foxes and squirrels ; there are also the mar- 
tin, otter, mink, and musk rat ; the rabbit, skunk, and 
raccoon ; the wild cat, lynx, and many others. 




WILD CAT. 



The birds of this country are very numerous, and some 
of them remarkably large and beautiful. There are sev- 
eral kinds of hawks, eagles, and owls, which are all birds 
of prey, and live by catching other birds and small ani- 
mals. There is, also, a great variety of water fowl ; the 
swan, a stately bird of a brilliant white ; the crane, a fine 
tall bird with smooth, oily feathers of a grayish white ; the 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 15 

wild goose, many kinds of ducks, and the pelican. The 
pelican has a white bill, very white pumage, and is equal 
in size to a goose. Below the bill it has a pouch, or bag, 
large enough to contain two quarts. Pelicans and many 
other kinds of water fowl are found ia immense flocks on 
the Missisippi and its branches. 




PELICAN AND CRANE. 

Of the birds, not birds of prey, inhabiting the woods, 
the principal are the wild turkey, a noble bird of a shin- 
ing black plumage, and much larger than the domestick 
turkey ; the partridge, the quail, and immense flocks of 
pigeons. 

The forests of this country produce a great variety of 
trees, most of which make excellent timber. There are 
more than twenty kinds of oak, and several kinds of pine, 
walnut, hickory, and maple. Besides these, there are 
the hemlock, spruce, cedar, birch, elm, ash, locust, tulip- 
tree, sycamore or button-wood ; and in the more south- 
ern parts, several kinds of magnolia, the cotton-wood, 
cypress, live-oak, and the catalpa. 



16 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

From the imperfect view taken in this chapter we 
have evidence of the great bounty of the Creator to our 
country, in point of animal and vegetable productions. In 
its most uncultivated state it afforded abundant proof of 
being fitted to become the happy residence of civilized men. 



CHAPTER IV. 

Settlement of the Country by White People. 

' The settlement of this country by white men has made 
a great change in its appearance. The woods have been 
cleared away, roads opened, towns built, and the lands 
cultivated. The Indians and the wild animals have grad- 
ually disappeared, as the white men have extended their 
settlements ; and the settlements of the white men, though 
already covering a vast extent of country, are still rapidly 
advancing. Where only a few years ago there was no- 
thing but one continued wilderness, there now are large 
and populous states ; and the comforts and privileges of 
civilized life are possessed by hundreds of thousands, in 
places but lately the abodes of savage beasts and of sav- 
age men. 

The first settlements in this country were made by 
people from England, and from other countries of Eu- 
rope. Europe is on the eastern side of the Atlantick 
Ocean, about three thousand miles from the United 
States. These settlements were called colonies. For 
a long time their growth was mucli hindered by wars 
with the Indians, and by other difficulties necessarily at- 
tending the settlement of a new country. In the course 
of one hundred and fifty years, however, the white in- 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 17 

habitants had spread over a very considerable extent 
along the shores of the Atlantick. Their number had in- 
creased to about three millions. Till this time the seve- 
ral colonies had lived under governments of their own, 
in some degree resembling the governments of the seve- 
ral states now ; the colonial governments, however, were 
all under the government of Great Britain, and Great 
Britain was called the mother country. But laws hav- 
ing been passed by the British government for the pur- 
pose of taxing the colonies without their own consent, 
they united together to resist these laws ; and on the 
fourth of July, 1 776, their representatives in Congress, 
declared them to be free and independent. At this time 
they took the name or title of the United States of Amer- 
ica. The government of Great Britain had begun a war 
with the colonies the year before. This war, commonly 
called the revolutionary war, lasted eight years. The 
excellent Washington commanded our armies, and the 
people were supported by a kind Providence, through a 
long course of trials and sufferings. At length Great 
Britain was compelled to acknowledge the independence 
of the United States, and to leave them at liberty to form 
and enjoy a government of their own. The government 
of the United States was at first very imperfect ; but in 
the year 1789, rather more than forty years ago, the ex- 
cellent form of government we now have was adopted, 
and George Washington was chosen first President of 
the United States. 

Since the adoption of the present form of government, 
which will be explained in another place, the country has 
rapidly increased in population and wealth, and the set- 
tlements have been very greatly extended. At first 
2 



18 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES* 

there were only thirteen states ; there ^re now twenty- 
four. At the close of the revolutionary war, the number 
of inhabitants did not exceed three millions ; the United 
States now contain more than twelve millions. The ter- 
ritory of the United States was at first bounded on the 
west by the Missisippi^ and on the south by the territory 
called Florida; but in the year 1803, the country west 
of the Missisippi was purchased of the French govern- 
ment ; and Florida was obtained of the Spanish gov- 
ernment in the year 1821. The wealth and importance 
of the United States have increased with the number of 
people ; and, although great improvements in arts and in 
the means of education, intellectual and moral, have been 
already made, yet in each of these respects the nation 
still is making rapid progress. 

By whom were the first settlements of white people made in this country? 

In how long a time did the number of people increase to three millions ? 

How were the colonies governed ? 

What caused them to resist the government of Great Britain ? 

When were the colonies declared to be free and independent ? 

What name or title did they take ? 

When did the revolutionary war begin ? 

How long did it last T 

Who commanded our armies ? 

When was the present government of the United States adopted 1 

Who was the first president ? 

What is said of the progress of the country ? 

How many states were there at first ? 

How many are there now ? 

What is the present number of people ? 

How were the United States at first bounded ? 

When and of whom were the additional territories purchased T 



CHAPTER V. 

Extent of the United States — Civil Divisions. 

It has already been said that the extent of the United 
States is very great. This vast country stretches four 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 19 

thousand miles from the Atlantick to the Pacifick Ocean. 
Its eastern coast along the Atlantick is eighteen hundred 
miles in length, and its western, along the Pacifick, is six 
hundred miles. The whole area, or surface, of the 
United States, contains more than two millions of square 
miles.* Only a small part of the country is yet settled 
by white men, the settled part being little more than a 
quarter of the whole. 

Beside the District of Columbia, the country is divided 
into twenty-four states, four organized territories, and the 
territories of Missouri and Oregon. An organized ter- 
ritory is a territory having white inhabitants and a regu- 
lar government under the government of the United 
States. The territories of Missouri and Oregon are of 
greater extent than all the rest of the country ; but they 
remain, as yet, a wilderness, inhabited only by wild ani- 
mals and by tribes of Indians. 

The situation of each state and territory will be best 
learned by studying the map. A knowledge of the situ- 
ation of each is necessary for well understanding this 
chapter and most of those which follow it. Before pro- 
G6edip.g further, therefore, the pupil will do well to learn 
the boundaries and situation of each state and territory, 
and which way it is from each of the others. To assist 
him in this a list of questions on the map of the United 
States is given at the end of the book. 

The thirteen original states, that is, the states settled 
before the revolutionary war, and then called colonies, 
are New-Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode- 
Island, New-York, New-Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, 

* A square mile is a mile long and a mile wide^ containing six hundred 
and forty acres. 



20 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and 
Georgia. The states since added, and often called the 
new states, are Vermont, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, 
Louisiana, Indiana, Missisippi, Illinois,* Alabama, Maine, 
and Missouri. The four organized territories are Flori- 
da, Arkansas,! Michigan, and Huron. The District of 
Columbia, in which is the City of Washington, the capi- 
tal of the United States, is only ten miles square, and 
situated between Maryland and Virginia. By looking at 
the map it will be seen that the states are of very differ- 
ent sizes. Some of the old states are very small ; the 
new states, except Vermont, are all large. The impor- 
tance of a state, however, does not always depend upon 
its size. Massachusetts, for example, has more inhabi- 
tants and wealth, and is at present far more important, 
than Missouri, although Missouri is eight times larger. 

All the states, except Louisiana, are divided into coun- 
ties. Part of Louisiana, instead of counties, is divided 
into parishes. In the New-England states the counties 
are subdivided into towns, and in some of the other states 
into townships. f South of Pennsylvania, though villages 
and towns have names of their own, yet the only divis- 
ion for purposes of government is into counties. 

What is tire extent of the United States from east to west ? 

How long is the eastern coast 1 How long the western ? 

How many square miles in the United States 1 

What part of the whole country is settled ? 

Into how many states and territories are the United States divided ? 

What is an organized territory ? 

Give the names of the thirteen original states. 

Give the names of those added since. 

What is said of the territories of Missouri and Oregon ? 

How large is the District of Columbia ? Where is it situated, and what 

city does it contain ? 
What is said of the relative sizes of the states ? 
How are the states divided for the purposes of government ? 

* Il-li-noi. t Ar-kan-saw. 

i The towns in the New-England states are smaller in extent than 
what are called townships in the other states. 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 



21 



CHAPTER VI. 

Surface of the United States. 

The northeastern part of the United States, includ- 
ing New-England and New-York, is generally hilly, 
and in many places mountainous. The White Mountains 
of New-Hampshire (5) are the highest land east of the 
Missisippi. Some of them are more than a mile high. The 
Green Mountains of Vermont(6, 7, 8) and the Catskill 
Mountains of New-York, are of considerable extent, and 




Comparative height of Mountains. 

have a number of lofty summits. Farther south begins a 
very long chain of mountains called the Allegany Jvloun- 
lains.(ll) By looking at the map it will be seen that this 
chain extends to the southwest as far as Alabama ; and that 
it passes through several of the states. Its general direc- 
tion is the same as that of the seashore ; but toward the 



south its distance from the sea gradually increases. 

2^ 



The 



22 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

Allegany Mountains consist of a number of ridges, from 
six to twelve, running generally the same way, with nar- 
row vallies between them. Several of these ridges have 
names of their own : as the Laurel Mountains and Blue 
Ridge (12) in Virginia, and the Cumberland Mountains in 
Tennessee. The Allegany Mountains have no very high 
summits. The peaks of Otter, (9) in Virginia, which are 
among the highest are a little more than half a mile high. 

Most of our rivers which fall into the Atlantick, begin 
in the vallies among the Allegany Mountains. The chan- 
nels in which they pass through the mountains are often 
several hundred feet deep, and through solid rock. The 
passage of a river through one of these rocky channels 
makes a grand appearance. The country lying between 
the Allegany Mountains and the sea consists of two parts ; 
the one hilly and the other plain. The hilly country is 
very fertile and beautiful. The plain country, beginning 
with the southern half of New-Jersey and ending with the 
peninsula of Florida, is very low and level. It is gene- 
rally sandy and not fertile, except on the banks of rivers, 
where is found some very rich soil. In many places are 
very extensive swamps and marshes, produced by the 
overflowing of the rivers. The country thus far describ- 
ed in this chapter is called the Atlantick part of the Unit- 
ed States ; and most of the rivers fall into the Atlantick 
Ocean. Compared with the whole surface of the United 
States its extent is very small, as may be seen by look- 
ing at the map ; but it is much more thickly inhabited, 
and has a much greater number of people than the terri- 
tory west of it. 

West of the Allegany Mountains the surface of the 
country is generally level. There are some hills, but 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 23 

they are mostly round and swelling, and neither high nor 
steep. This level country extends west of the Missisippi 
as far as the Rocky Mountains. It is principally watered 
by the Missisippi and its branches, and on this account it 
is called the Missisippi Valley. It is a very extensive, as 
well as a very interesting part of the United States. 

That part of the Missisippi Valley which has been di- 
vided into states, is in general a very fertile and delight- 
ful country. It has no rocky hills, nor sandy plains. 
The land is easily cultivated, and produces very abund- 
ant crops. In this valley are those extensive prairies, 
which were mentioned in the first chapter of this book. 
Prairies are found in Ohio ; but in this state, they are 
few and comparatively small. In Indiana and Illinois 
they become much larger and more numerous ; and at 
some distance west of the Missisippi, they spread out to 
a very great extent, so that scarcely a tree is to be seen, 
except a few near the streams. 

The prairies, in general, are nearly level ; they are 
destitute of trees, and covered with tall coarse grass and 
a great variety of flowering plants. During summer, no 
flower garden equals the prairies in variety and splen- 
dour of blossoms. Most of the prairie flowers have tall, 
slender stems ; they are bright and gaudy, but not very 
fragrant, nor delicate. In spring the flowers are of a 
bluish purple ; those which appear in midsummer are gen- 
erally red, and late in Autumn the prairies are covered 
with large flowers of a bright yellow. 

The soil of the prairies is commonly very fertile ; but 
west of the Missisippi, towards the Rocky Mountains, 
they gradually become drier, and the grass which grows 
upon them becomes shorter and thinner. At length the 



24 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

prairies become barren, and in many places bare, produc- 
ing only a few coarse and prickly shrubs. The streams 
here are small, few, and shallow ; they run in deep gullies, 
and in summer their channels are nearly dry. This 
barren country is quite extensive, reaching several hund- 
red miles to the foot of the Rocky Mountains. 

The Rocky Mountains, (1, 2, 3, 4) as will be seen by 
looking at the map, lie nearly northwest and southeast. 
They have seldom been visited by white men, and are very 
little known. Some of them are supposed to be more than 
two miles high. West of these mountains is the Terri- 
tory of Oregon, which extends to the Pacifick Ocean. 

What is said of the surface of the northeastern part of the United States T 
Of the mountains in New-Hampshire ? In Vermont aiid jNew-York 1. 

In what direction do the Allegany Mountains lie ? 

How far south do they extend ? 

At which end do they approach nearest the sea ? 

Of how many ridges do they consist ? 

How high are the highest summits ? 

V/here do most of our rivers falling into the Atlantick Ocean begin ? 

What is said of the surface and soil of the country between the Allegany 
Mountains and the sea ? 

Why is this country called the Atlantick part of the United States ? 

What is said of the country between the Allegany and Ptocky Mountains ? 

By what name is it called ? 

What is said of that part of it which is divided into states ? 

Give an account of the Prairies ? 

How do the Rocky Mountains lie, and what is said of their height ? 

What territory lies west of them ? 



CHAPTER VIL 

Rivers of the Atlantick States. 

Beginning at the northeast, the principal rivers of New- 
England are the Penobscot, Kennebeck, Androscoggin, 
Saco, Piscataqua, Merrimack, and Connecticut. All 
these are important streams. The Penobscot, which is 
the largest river of Maine, varies in its course from south- 



VtEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 25 

east to southwest, and falls into a fine bay. It is naviga- 
ble for large vessels fifty-two miles. The Kennebeck 
and Androscoggin unite about eighteen miles from the 
sea. The general course of the Androscoggin is south- 
east, that of the Kennebeck, which is the main branch, 
is south. The Kennebeck is navigable for large vessels 
twelve or fifteen miles, and for smaller vessels forty miles. 
The Saco is a very rapid stream ; the tide is stopped by 
falls four miles from its mouth. The Piscataqua is a 
very short river, formed by the union of five or six smal- 
ler rivers a few miles from the sea. Its mouth forms one 
of the finest harbours in the United States. The mouth 
of the Merrimack is obstructed by a sand bar, but ves- 
sels of considerable size ascend the river about eighteen 
miles. The Connecticut runs nearly south. The tide 
flows up about fifty miles, to which distance the river is 
navigable for small vessels. It is navigable for long flat 
bottomed boats nearly three hundred miles farther, the 
falls being passed by means of canals and locks. The 
whole length of the river is about four hundred miles. 
Few parts of the United States are more fertile, better 
cultivated, or more thickly inhabited, than the valley 
through which the Connecticut passes. 

The principal river of New-York is the Hudson. It 
runs in the same direction with the Connecticut about 
sixty miles from it. The tide flows up this beautiful riv- 
er nearly two hundred miles, and vessels ascend to the 
same distance. None of our rivers are more favourable to 
navigation than the Hudson. A passage up the Hudson 
from the city of New-York to Albany, one hundred and 
fifty miles, is very delightful, on account of the grand and 



26 View ot tHE UNtTifiD states. 

rich scenery it presents. On the banks of the Hudson 
are a number of handsome and flourishing towns. 

The principal rivers of Pennsylvania are the Delaware, 
which separates Pennsylvania from New-Jersey, and the 
Susquelianna, which has its sources in New- York, and 
its mouth in Maryland. Both these rivers flow south and 
both terminate in broad bays. 

The Delaware is navigable for the largest ships to 
Philadelphia about fifty miles, and for small vessels nine- 
ty miles, and for river boats a hundred miles farther* 
The Susquehanna is larger than the Delaware ; but it is 
a rapid stream, and its navigation is obstructed. It is 
more than a mile wide at its mouth, but is navigable only 
five miles for vessels. Boats however pass up and down 
the greater part of its length. 

The chief rivers of Virginia are the Potomack along 
its northern boundary, the Rappahannock, and the James. 
The general direction of these rivers is southeast, inclin- 
ing to the south. These are fine streams with broad and 
deep channels. They admit large ships to pass up to a 
great distance. Ships of war ascend the Potomack as 
far as Washington, situated more than a hundred and 
fifty miles from its mouth. Above Washington the Po- 
tomack is navigable for boats. 

The Rappahannock is navigable more than a hundred 
miles for vessels of considerable size. Vessels of the 
same size ascend the James River a hundred and fifty 
miles, to the port of Richmond. This river is navigated 
with boats two hundred miles farther. These three riv- 
ers fall into the Chesapeake bay. 

The principal rivers of the two Carolinas are the Chow- 
an, Roanoake, Neuse, and Cape Fear in North Carolina, 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 27 

and in South Carolina the Pedee, Santee, and Edisto. 
These rivers run southeast across that broad sandy plain, 
which was mentioned in the last chapter as extending along 
the more southern part of our Atlantick coast. In many- 
places they are shallow, and the navigation is obstructed by 
sand bars. They pass through extensive marshes and the 
mouths of all of them are barred with sand. They admit 
only vessels of the smaller kinds, but are extensively navi- 
gated with boats. The rivers of Georgia and Florida,which 
flow into the Atlantick, are the Savannah, separating 
Georgia from South Carolina, the Alataraaha,"^ St. Mary's 
and St John's. The general course of the two first is 
southeast ; that of the St. John's is northeast ; the St. 
Mary's is a small and very crooked stream, but is re- 
markable for having deeper water at its mouth than any 
other river of the United States south of the Chesapeake. 
These rivers very much resemble the rivers of the Car- 
olinas. The Savannah, however, is navigable for large 
vessels seventeen miles to Savannah ; and for large boats 
to Augusta a hundred and twenty miles farther. 

The Alatamaha is navigable a short distance for ves- 
sels and for boats nearly three hundred miles. The sev- 
sral rivers mentioned in this chapter, as well as the other 
rivers of the United States falling into the Atlantick, are 
more or less plentifully supplied with valuable fish. Near- 
ly all of them have shad and bass, besides other fishes of 
a smaller size, but of excellent flavour. The salmon, 
formerly abundant in the northeastern rivers, is becoming 
very scarce. 

The rivers thus far noticed, except the Piscataqua, 
which is very short, vary in length from one hundred and 
fifty to five hundred miles. 

* Al-ta-ma-haw. 



28 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

Which are the principal rivers of New-England; and what is said of 

each ? 
What is said of the Hudson ? 

Which are the principal rivers of Pennsylvania? What is said of them ? 
Which are the principal rivers of Virginia ? 
What is said of the Potomack 1 Of the Rappahannock ? Of the James 

River ? 
Which are the principal rivers of North Carolina ? Of South Carolina ? 
What is said of these rivers ? 
Which are the principal rivers of Georgia and Florida ? What is said of 

each ? 
What is said of the length of the Atlantick rivers. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Rivers of the Missisippi T^alley, 

The rivers of Georgia, Florida, and Alabama, which 
flow into the Gulf of Mexico, are the Cha-ta-hoo-chee, 
called in the southern part of its course, the Ap-pa-lach- 
i-co-la, and the Alabama and Tombeckbee,"^ which unite 
before they reach the Gulf, and receive the name of Mo- 
bile river. These rivers run in a direction generally 
south, and are each about four hundred miles in length. 
They are navigable, either with vessels or with boats 
through the greater part of their length ; but their chan- 
nels are much obstructed by shallows ; w^hile bars of 
mud, and logs at their mouths prevent the entrance of 
larp;e vessels. Much of the land on their banks is low 
and marshj^, and subject to be overflowed by the swel- 
ling of the rivers. 

The largest river flowing into the Gulf of Mexico, and 
indeed the largest river of the United States, is the Mis- 
sisippi, already so often mentioned. This river rises in 
a wide marshy plain, not far from the northern boundary 
of the United States. It soon becomes a considerable 

* or Tombigbee. 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 29 

stream, and grows wider and deeper till it reaches the 
Falls of St. Anthony. These falls are sixteen feet in 
height. Below them the Missisippi is a noble stream, 
half a mile wide, with a gentle current, and waters very 
clear. 

On both sides of the river are high, steep banks of 
limestone rock, called bluffs. Between the bluffs and 
the river are tracts of low, level and very fertile land, 
called river bottoms, and similar to the interval on the riv- 
ers of the Atlantick States. These bottoms however are 
not commonly found upon both sides of the river at once ; 
but first on one side and then on the other, the bluffs al- 
ternately approaching the river and receding from it. At 
small distances, the river is spotted with beautiful wooded 
islands ; and at the summits of the bluffs, on each side, 
commences a level and fertile country, made up of prairie 
and wood-land. The river becomes gradually wider and 
deeper, but preserves the same general appearance till 
it meets the Missouri. 

The Missouri is the larger stream, and in reality is the 
main branch ; after it mingles with the Missisippi, the 
character of the latter is entirely changed. The wa- 
ters of the river now become white and muddy, and its 
current swift and dangerous. As low down as the mouth 
of the Ohio, the valley between the blufls on each side, 
including the river, is from six to eight miles wide. Be- 
low this point, the bluffs retire to a great distance and a 
valley spreads between them, in general, from thirty to 
fifty miles wide, and much wider as the river approaches 
the Gulf of Mexico. The appearance of this great val- 
ley is extremely desolate ; it consists for the most part 
3 



30 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

of a low swamp of cypress forest, subject to be overflow- 
ed every year by the waters of the river. 

Just below the entrance of the Red River the Missisip- 
pi gives off a stream from its western bank, called the At- 
chafalaya,^ which passes by its own channel into the 
Gulf of Mexico. At a considerable distance farther down 
the river, a stream called the Ibberville is given off from 
the eastern bank. The country between these outlets is 
called the Delta of the Missisippi, but besides these two 
there are several other large outlets and many small 
ones. Within the Delta, and along the banks of the river, 
there is a strip of very fertile and well cultivated land, 
protected from the floods by an embankment of earth 
called the Levee. Near the Gulf, however, and about 
the four mouths by which the Missisippi discharges its 
waters, the country is all marsh, and covered with a kind 
of coarse reeds. 

Considering its length and the vast quantity of its wa- 
ters the Missisippi is very narrow. Its average width is 
less than a mile. It receives the Missouri, Ohio, Arkan- 
sas, and the Red river without growing wider ; indeed it 
is wider above the Missouri than immediately below it. 
But though not wide, the Missisippi is very deep. Be- 
low the mouth of the Ohio its average depth is one hund- 
red feet. Its whole length is over three thousand miles. 

The Missouri is the largest river flowing into the Mis- 
sisippi. It commences far to the northwest among the 
Rocky mountains, and being enlarged in its progress by 
tributary streams, it rolls its whitish muddy waters with 
a rapid current through the vast prairies of the Missouri 
Territory. Like the Missisippi it has bluffs and river 

* Chaf-a-ly-oh. 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 31 

bottoms, but except near its mouth, the bluffs are not so 
high, nor the bottoms so wide, as those on the Missisippi, 
Its principal branches are the Yellowstone, Platte, and 
Kansas. These are large rivers, and very much resem- 
ble the Missouri. One general description applies to the 
whole country through which the Missouri and its branch- 
es flow. Near the rivers is a narrow strip of fertile land, 
but occasionally destitute of trees. As you recede from 
the rivers, the land becomes sandy and dry, till at lengdi 
it is little better than a desert of moving sand. This des- 
cription, however, does not apply to the State of Missouri, 
the soil of which is generaPy good, whether near the 
river or remote from it. The average width of the Mis- 
souri does not exceed half a mile. Its whole length is 
over three thousand miles. 

The Ohio, though not the largest, is, in many respects, 
the most beautiful of our rivers. It is formed by the 
union of the Monongahela and Allegany, which flow down 
the west side of the Allegany mountains. Its length is 
over a thousand miles, and its width, in general, about 
half a mile. Its waters are clear, its current is gentle, 
and it passes through one of the most delightful and fer- 
tile countries in the world. Like the other rivers of the 
Missisippi valley, the Ohio is skirted on each side with 
bluffs and bottoms, but the bottoms are extremely wide 
and rich, and in their natural state are covered with lofty 
forest trees. 

The Arkansas is over two thousand miles in length. 

The length of Red River is about fifteen hundred miles. 

Both these rivers rise in the Rocky Mountains, and flow 

in a southeasterly course into the Missisippi. The coun- 

ry through which they pass, resembles that which is wa- 



32 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

tered by the Missouri and its branches. As they ap- 
proach the Missisippi, the ground on their banks becomes 
low and swampy, and the whole country about their 
mouths is liable to be annually overflowed. At the time 
of the flood, the waters of the Arkansas are thick and 
muddy, and of a bright red colour. The waters of the 
Red River are equally muddy, but their colour is of a 
deeper red. 

There are many other rivers which run into the Mis- 
sisippi and its branches ; and several of them are larger 
than any of the rivers of the Atlantick states : such are* 
the Cumberland and Tennessee, the Illinois and White 
River. To these may be added, as large and important 
rivers, the Wabash, Kaskaskia, Osage, Yazoo, and ma- 
ny others. These, as well as the other rivers mentioned 
in this chapter, may be found on the map. 

The Missisippi and its branches, particularly the Ohio, 
are navigated by an immense number of boats of all sorts, 
shapes, and sizes. These transport vast quantities of 
produce and merchandise. The greatest part of the 
produce is carried down the rivers in very large flat-bot- 
tomed boats ; but steam-boats are very numerous and of 
the greatest utility, particularly in ascending the rivers. 
The navigation is much obstructed, in many places, by 
sand-bars, shoals, rapids, and sunken trees, especially 
when the water is low. When the water is high, the 
furious current of the lower Missisippi is often extremely 
dangerous ; and vessels and boats are very liable to run 
against trees and logs brought down by the floods. 

The Missisippi and its branches abound with fishes : 
but, except the cat fish, found near the mouth of the 
Missisippi, they are not of great value. Many of them 



VIEW OF THE trNlTEl) STATES. 



33 



are large, bui, with few exceptions, they are tough, coarse, 
and unsavoury. As far north as the Arkansas, the Mis- 
sisippi swarms with alligators. The alligator is a great, 
un wieldly lizard, from twelve to sixteen feet in length. It 
has a large mouth, with very large and frightful ivory 
teeth. Its skin is so tough as to resist a musket ball, 
and is valuable for tanning. The alligators sleep on the 
sand-bars, or move about in the water, looking very much 
like old logs. They come upon the shore and catch 
calves, pigs, and other small animals, that come in their 
way. 




ALLIGATOR. 



All the rivers of the Missisippi valley are subject to an 
annual flood during the spring, when the waters, in many 
places, rise to a great height. 

What rivers of Georgia, Florida, and Alabama flow into the Gulf of 

Mexico 1 
What is said of the length and navigation of these rivers ? 
Which is the largest river of the United States T Where does it take 

its rise ? What is its character and appearance before it meets the 

Missouri ? What is its character and appearance afterward ? 
Where is the Delta of the Missisippi, and what is said of the land 

within it ? 
Mention a number of the principal branches of the Missisippi beside the 

Missouri. 
What is the average width, and what the length of the Missisippi ? 
Where does the Missouri commence ? What is said of the country 

through which thi& river and its branches flow 1 

3* 



34 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

Which are the principal branches of the Missouri^ and what is &aid of 

them? 
What is the average width of the Missouri ? What is its length ? 
Give an account of the Ohio : of its length, width, and of the country 

through which it flows. 
Give an account of the Arkansas, and of the Red River. 
What other large rivers in the Missisippi Valley ? How are these rivers 

navigated ? 



CHAPTRR IX. 

Lakes, 

By looking at the map it will be seen, that there is a 
number of large lakes along the northern boundary of the 
United States. The most northerly and westerly of these 
lakes are the Lake of the Woods and Rainy Lake, con- 
nected together by Rainy Lake River. Next, towards 
the east, is Lake Superior. This lake is the largest col- 
lection of fresh water in the world. It is three hundred 
and fifty miles long and one hundred miles broad, and is 
equal in extent to the State of South Carolina. It re- 
ceives upwards of fifty rivers, some of which are of con- 
siderable size. Its shores are bleak, steep, and rocky ; in 
some places are long walls of rock rising directly from 
the water's edge. The country around the lake is cold 
and barren. The waters of Superior pass through the 
strait of St. Mary's, a shallow and rapid stream twenty- 
seven miles long, into Lake Huron. 

Huron and Michigan are united by a wide and short 
strait called Michilimackinack.^ They both receive nu- 
merous rivers ; Michigan alone receives forty of consid- 
erable size. Their shores in many places rise gently 
from the water's edge, and though sometimes rocky, no 

* or Mackinaw. 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATESr 35 

where present such tremendous precipices as border Lake 
Superior. The three upper lakes, Superior, Huron, and 
Michigan, are remarkable for their great depth, which 
on an average, is more than nine hundred feet. These 
three lakes discharge their waters through St. Clair river, 
a broad and rapid stream, into Lake St. Clair. St Clair 
is a clear and beautiful sheet of water about thirty miles 
broad ; it communicates with Erie by the strait or river of 
Detroit, twenty-seven miles long. Erie is the most south- 
erly of the five great lakes, and has less depth than either 
of the others. On an average it is not more than one 
hundred feet deep. The waters of lake Erie descend, 
by a very deep and swifi stream, thirty-six miles long, 
over the famous falls of Niagara river. At the falls, the 
fiver is nearly a mile wide, and the whole of its waters 
rush furiously down a steep wall of rock one hundred 
and sixty feet high. It is scarcely possible to conceive 
a grander sight than the falls of Niagara. Ontario is 
the most easterly and the smallest of the great lakes. It 
is about two hundred miles long and fifty broad, and its 
extent is considerably greater than the state of Connec- 
ticut. Its average depth is about five hundred feet. On- 
tario communicates with the Atlantick by the river St. 
Lawrence, which for some distance after it passes from 
the lake, forms the northern boundary of the L^nited 
States. 

The waters of the five great lakes, are remarkably 
clear, cold, and transparent. They abound with the fin- 
est fish, among which are several kinds of trout, pickerel, 
carp, as well as fish called sturgeon, bass, and herring ; 
but very different from the fishes of the same names found 
in the sea, and the rivers running into it. The most 



36 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES* 

plentiful however, and the finest of all the fish found in 
the Lakes^ is the white fish. When the lakes are calm 
the fish can be seen sporting at great depths. In storms 
the water rises in waves as rough and dangerous as those 
of the ocean. 

On lakes Erie and Ontario, are a considerable num- 
ber of steam boats and other vessels ; but the navigation 
of all the great lakes is rendered dangerous by the want 
of good harbours. Safe anchorage cannot usually be 
found, except at the mouths of rivers, and most of the 
rivers are obstructed by sand bars or are too shallow to 
admit large vessels. There is however a considerable 
number of tolerably good harbours on the south shores^ 
of Erie and Ontario. 

Lakes, though not common in other parts of the United 
States, are numerous in New-England and New- York,, 
and very various in size and shape. In the western part 
of New-York there is a fine cluster, the largest of which 
are Senaca, Cayuga, and Oneida. Between New- York 
and Vermont is lake Champlain, a beautiful sheet of wa- 
ter, one hundred and twenty-eight miles long, and from 
one mile to fifteen miles broad, studded with numerous 
islands, and surrounded with lofty mountains. It receives 
several considerable rivers, and has a number of good 
harbours and some shipping. This lake is famous in the 
history of our country ; several naval battles have been 
fought on its surface. 

Immediately south of Champlain, and connected with 
it, is Lake George, celebrated for its fine scenery, beau- 
tiful islands, and clear waters. 

In New-Hampshire and Maine are several beautiful 
lakes, such as Sunapee, Winnipiseogee and Ossipee, in 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 37 

New-Hampshire; Sebago, Umbagog,'Moosehead, Schoo-^ 
die, and others, in Maine. The small lakes, as well as 
the large ones, abound in delicate fish. 

Which is the most northern and western of the great lakes ? 

What is said of Lake Superior ? 

What connects this lake with Huron ? 

What is said of Huron and Michigan ? 

What is the depth of water in Superior^ Huron, and Michigan? 

Where and how do these lakes discharge their waters ? 

What is said of Lake Erie ? 

Between what lakes are the falls of Niagara ? What is said of them ? 

How far from Erie to Ontario T 

What is said of the navigation of these lakes ? Of the great lakes gener- 
ally ? 

What other lakes and where found ? 

What other lakes in the State of New York ? Between New-York and 
Vermont ? 

In New-Hampshire and Maine ? 

What is said of the fish in the great and small lakes 7 



CHAPTER X. 

Seacoast. 

That part of the coast of the United States which \s 
washed by the Gulf of Mexico is about eleven hundred 
miles in extent. For the most part it is low and marshy 
and but ill supplied with deep harbours. The mouths of 
the rivers are narrow and obstructed by bars. The best 
harbours are bays into which no great river empties, but 
even these are not deep enough to admit the largest 
vessels. 

From Cape Sable, the southern point of Florida, to 
Cape Hatteras, the coast stretches nearly nine hundred 
miles. This part of our coast, like that just described, is 
low and often marshy, and the mouths of the rivers are 
obstructed by bars. It is lined with small islands gener- 
ally long and naarow, and extending in the same direction 



38 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

with the main Jand. Good harbours are extremely rare 
and none are capable of admitting the largest vessels. 
Capes Fear, Lookout, and Hatteras, are very dangerous 
to mariners, on account of shoals and tempestuous weath- 
er. That part of our coast which extends from Cape 
Hatteras to Cape Malabar, about six hundred miles in 
length, is much indented by bays. The principal of these 
are Pamlico, and Albermarle Sounds, Chesapeake and 
Delaware Bays, Long Island Sound, Narraganset Bay and 
Buzzard's Bay. 

Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds communicate with 
each other. They are separated from the sea by long, 
narrow, sandy islands. The inlets between these islands 
are very narrow, and not deep enough to admit large 
vessels. 

As the River Susquehanna approaches the sea, it grows 
wide and spreads out into Chesapeake Bay. This is 
much the largest bay along our whole coast.. It is nearly 
two hundred miles in length ; its average breadth above 
the mouth of the Potomac is ten miles, and below that 
river, twenty-five miles. It receives several broad, deep, 
and navigable streams, and is well supplied with good 
harbours. It opens to the sea between Capes, Henry and 
Charles, which are often called the Capes of Virginia. 

Delaware Bay is sixty miles long, and in the widest 
place thirty miles wide. It opens to the sea between 
Capes, May and Henlopen ; and is formed by Delaware 
River, which, like the Susquehanna, grows wide as it ap- 
proaches the sea. The shores of this bay are without 
harbours and its navigation is leather difficult ; but it is of 
much importance, ^ince it enables the great state of 
Pennsylvania to communicate with tba sea. The eastern 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES, 39 

shores of Maryland and New-Jersey, and the southern 
shore of Long-Island are without harbours, but at the 
mouth of the Hudson is the noble harbour of New- York, 
and within Long-Island Sound there are several very 
good harbours, along the shores of Connecticut. 

Narragansett Bay is a beautiful sheet of water, studded 
with fertile and well cultivated islands, and well provided 
with harbours. Southwest of Buzzard's Bay are two con- 
siderable islands, Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard, be- 
longing to Massachusetts. 

That part of our coast, about three hundred miles in 
length, which reaches from Cape Cod to the mouth of 
St. Croix River, at the northeastern extremity of the Uni- 
ted States, is, of all the rest, the best furnished with har- 
bours, and the most favourable to navigation. It has sev- 
eral bays, the principal of which are Massachusetts Bay, 
between Cape Cod and Cape Ann, Casco, Penobscot, 
and Passamaquoddy Bays. The coast of Maine in par- 
ticular is indented with a great number of bays, and num- 
berless islands are scattered along, within a short distance 
from the main land. This state abounds in excellent 
harbours, which, though the winters are severe, are kept 
clear of ice by the tides that rise higher on this than on 
other parts of our coast. 

The sea which washes the eastern coast of the United 
States, abounds with a variety of valuable fish. The 
most important are the cod, mackerel, and herring. Ma- 
ny thousand people, especially in the northeastern states, 
are employed in taking and curing fish. 

What part and what length of the coast of the United States is washed by 

the gulf of Mexico ? 
What is said of the harbours on this part of the coast ? 
Which is the most southern cape of the United States 1 



40 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

Which way is Cape Hatteras from Cape Sable ? What length of coast 
between these capes 1 

What is said of the harbours on this part of the coast 1 

What dangerous capes on the coast of North Carolina? 

Where is Cape Malabar ? 

What length of coast between Capes Hatteras and Malabar ? 

What remarkable bays between these capes ? 

What is said of Albermarle and Pamlico Sounds ? Of Chesapeake Bay ? 
Of its length, width and harbours ? 

Between what capes does it open to the ocean ? 

What is said of Delaware Bay ? Of its length, width, harbours, naviga- 
tion, and importance ? 

What is said of the eastern shores of Maryland and New-Jersey, and of 
the southern shore of Long-Island Sound ? 

What is said of the coast from Cape Cod to the northeastern extremity 
of the United States ? Of its length, bays, and harbours ? 

What of the coast of Maine in particular ? 

What is said of the fish which are taken from the sea on our eastern 
coast f 



CHAPTER XL 

Climate and Productions. 

The territory of the United States is so extensive, that 
in different parts of it there is a great difference of cli- 
mate, and a great variety of productions. When v^e 
speak of the climate of a particular country, we refer to 
the heat, cold, and moisture that prevail in it. Countries 
which lie far to the north are cold, while southern coun- 
tries are usually warm, but beside these circumstances, 
there are other causes which produce difference of cli- 
mate. High countries are colder than low ones, and 
places near the sea have a milder climate, than those at 
a distance from it. The wind also, according to the di- 
rection in which it blows, has a great influence upon cli- 
mate. From these causes, the low and level lands along 
the coast of the Atlantick have a climate considerably 
warmer than the country at the foot of the Allegany Moun- 
tains, and the mountainous parts of the Carolinas and of 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 41 

Tennessee, though these states are so far south, have 
winters nearly as severe as the winters of New-England. 
And in all parts of the United States, when there is a 
strong wind from the north or northwest, the weather is 
usually colder than when it blows from other directions. 

The winters on the upper Missisippi, and in the north- 
ern part of the Missouri Territory, are extremely severe, 
much more so, than in the states equally far north on the 
Atlantick. One reason of this is, the great western plains 
are very high land. 

Throughout North America, the prevailing winds are 
from the northwest. These winds coming from an ocean 
very far to the north called the Frozen Ocean, produce a 
great degree of cold, especially in winter, all over the 
United States. In all parts of the country, if we ex- 
cept the peninsula of Florida, snow usually falls during 
winter. But in the more southern states, except in the 
mountainous parts, it rarely lies on the ground longer 
than a day or two. In these states the summers are very 
long as well as very hot. In the most northern parts of 
the United States, the winter commonly sets in as early 
as the first of December, and the snow lies on the ground 
more than five months. The summers there are hot, but 
very short. The states, according to their respective sit- 
uations between the northern and southern boundaries of 
the country, have a great variety of climates. 

Sugar cane, the orange and the lime, are cultivated 
on the Atlantick coast as far north as the southern ex- 
tremity of South Carolina, and on the banks of the Mis- 
sisippi as far up as the mouth of Red River. Rice and 
the fig flourish considerably farther north. Cotton and 
indigo are not much cultivated north of Tennessee and 
4 



42 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 



North Carolina. Tobacco is a productive crop as far 
north as the southern boundary of Pennsylvania. Where 
rice and the fig cease to grow, wheat and other small 
grains, the apple and the pear, begin to be found. These 
all are productive in what are called the middle and north- 




Tobacco, OrangC; Sugar-Cane, Fig, and Ltime. 



ern states. Maize or Indian corn, is a very remarkable 
grain. It is adapted to the climate of every state in the 
Union ; but it varies in species or kind, according to the 
climate where it is found. In British America and in the 
most northern states, the stalks of the corn are low, com- 
monly not exceeding four or five feet in height, but in 
the southern states they rise to the height of twelve or 
thirteen feet. Peaches do not flourish farther north than 
Massachusetts ; but the common potato succeeds best in 
the most northern parts of the country. In the southern 
states it is poor, but its place is in a measure supplied by 
the sweet potato. The cultivated grasses are most pro- 
ductive in a northern climate; but garden vegetables suc- 
ceed in all the states. On account of the great extent of 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 43 

the United States, and the varieties of climate they afford, 
we have little reason to fear, that a famine will ever take 
place in consequence of a geneial failure of crops ; for 
if the crops from any cause are cut off in any part of the 
country, a supply may be expected from other parts. . 
This circumstance is a just cause of gratitude to the boun- 
tiful Creator ; and a good reason for cherishing and main- 
taining a happy union of the states. 

What is said of the climate of the United States ? 

What countries are warm and what cold 1 

What other causes influence climate ? 

In what parts of the Carolinas and of Tennessee are the winters cold? 

What winds produce a great degree of cold in the United States ? 

What is the prevailing wind of the country 1 Why is it colder than oth- 
er winds ? 

Where are the summers long and hot ? 

Does snow ever fall in these parts t 

What is said of the winters and summers on the northern boundary of 
the United States ? 

How far north on the sea coast and on the Missisippi, are the sugar cane, 
the orange and the lime cultivated ? 

What is said of rice and the fig 1 Of cotton and indigo ? 

How far north is tobacco productive I 

Where do wheat, the apple, and the pear begin to be found ? In what 
States do these flourish ? 

What is said of Indian corn ? Of peaches and common potato 1 Of cul- 
tivated grasses and garden vegetables ? 



CHAPTER XII. 

Inhabitants. White People. 

The people inhabiting the United States are of three 
sorts ; namely, white people, blacks, and Indians. The 
white people are mostly the descendants of those who 
came to this country from England and other countries of 
Europe. They are vastly more numerous than both the 
other sorts of people put together ; and almost all the 
wealth of the country, as well as the government, is in 
their hands. 



44 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

The great body of the white people of the United 
States are employed in cultivating the earth, and are cal- 
led farmers and planters. The planters have large es- 
tates, and their lands are commonly cultivated by slaves, 
of whom I shall speak in the next chapter ; the farmers 
have less land and usually work on it themselves. 

The cultivation of the earth is one of the most hon- 
ourable, and certainly the most useful of all employments ; 
for all other employments are supported by it. The ex- 
port of the United States, that is, the commodities which 
are carried from this country to foreign countries for sale, 
are chiefly the productions of agriculture. 

Manufactures of all kinds, and particularly of cotton 
and wool, have very much increased in the United States 
within a few years, and the number of persons employed 
as mechanicks and manufacturers is great. The next 
most numerous class consists of those who are connected 
with commerce. The merchants of the United States 
Bxport to foreign countries great quantities of cotton, 
tobacco, flour, fish, oil, beef, pork, lumber, and many 
other commodities ; and they receive in return^ cotton 
and woollen goods, silks, wines, iron, cutlery, sugar, tea, 
coffee, and many other articles of merchandise, not 
produced nor manufactured in the United States. 

This trade affords employment to a great many vessels, 
and to a vast number of seamen. A great many sailors 
and boatmen are also employed in transporting goods and 
produce from one state to another ; and a large number 
of traders in all parts ol the United States are employed 
in selling these goods. The commerce of the United 
States, foreign and domestick, is very extensive. Next 
to the British, we are the most commercial nation in the 
world. 



tIEW Ot 'fBtE IGNITED STATES. 45 

In the northeastern states the cod, mackerel, and whale 
fisheries, employ a great many people. In all parts of 
the country, physicians, lawyers, clergymen, and instruct- 
ers of youth, are considerably numerous. Almost all 
useful employments known and practised among civilized 
nations, are known and practised in the United States. 
Every person of every sort, able and willing to be use- 
fully employed, may provide himself, and others depend- 
ant upon him, with the necessaries and with many of the 
comforts of life ; and the United States may justly be 
considered as the best poor man's country in the world. 

Much the largest part of the white people of the United 
States are of English descent. There are, however, 
considerable numbers of Scotch, Irish, Dutch, German^ 
French, and Spanish origin. In Pennsylvania there are 
many industrious and wealthy farmers, whose forefathers 
came from Germany, and who still speak the German 
language There are German settlements also in some 
other states. In Louisiana are many French, who speak 
the French language. Louisiana, as will be shown in 
another place, was originally a French colony. In this 
state, as well as in Florida, there are some people of 
Spanish origin. Those of Scottish descent are settled 
in different parts of the United States^ but are not very 
numerous. There are a few Jews ; and more or less 
persons from almost every civilized Christian nation. Of 
the foreigners settled in our country, a large number are 
Irish. These, in general, are a very laborious people^ 
and they are scattered through all parts of the Union. 

The national language is English ; it is studied and 
taught in all the publick schools, and by great numbers 
it is spoken and written with purity and elegance. That 
4^ 



46 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

part of the inhabitants who are descended from English 
forefathers, pay much attention to education. I shall 
speak, however, of particular institutions of learnings 
when I come to speak of particular states. In a number 
of the original states, and in some of the new ones, 
religious, as well as literary institutions are respectably 
maintained ; but the northeasterly part of the Union is 
much better provided with regular publick worship and 
religious intruction, than the other parts. It is to be 
hoped, however, that an increasing desire to enjoy the 
benefits of religious institutions, is arising in almost all 
parts of the country; and that the belief is becoming 
more and more general, that a nation cannot be truly 
great, prosperous, and happy, without the general diffu- 
sion of useful knowledge, nor without the general preva- 
lence of good morals, founded upon principles of religion* 

What is the employment of the great body of white people ? 

In what respect do farmers and planters differ ? 

What is said of manufactures and commerce ? 

What is said of the fisheries ? 

From whom are the white people of the United States descended ? 

In what parts are religious and literary institutions most flourishing ? 



CHAPTER XIIL 

Blacks. 

Within the United States there are about two mill- 
ions of black people. They are an extremely unfortu- 
nate race of men. Much the larger part of them are 
slaves, and even those who are free, are in general 
ignorant and degraded. For this, however, they are not 
jto be blamed, since it is principally owing to causes, over 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 47 

which they have no control. The blacks were originally 
brought from Africa, a country on the eastern side of the 
Atlantick, and far to the south. They were bought or 
taken there by persons engaged in the slave trade. The 
barbarous nations of Africa, when they take prisoners in 
war, sell them as slaves ; and white people, from almost 
all civilized nations, have for many ages been in the 
habit of going to Africa to purchase them. It is about 
two hundred years since the first slaves were brought 
over and sold in this country. But this wicked trafSck 
was abolished by a law of the United States in the year 
1808.^ The great body of the slaves now in this country 
are the descendants of those who were brought over from 
Africa before that time. 

The free blacks are either slaves set at liberty or their 
descendants. Formerly there were slaves in all the 
thirteen original states ; but they were always much more 
numerous at the south than at the north. About the time 
of the revolutionary war slavery was abolished in the 
northern states; it has been gradually coming to an end 
since that time in several others of the original states ; 
and in the states northwest of the Ohio River it has never 
been allowed. The slaves are principally engaged in 
working on the ground and in domestick labours. f 
Some rich planters own several hundreds of them ; and 
every planter has a considerable number. The farmers 
in the states where slavery is allowed, commonly own 
from three to twelve. The slaves are in general treated 
with kindness, and appear cheerful and happy. It is 
considered as very disgraceful throughout all the states, 

* Laws against the slave trade have been passed in England and France^ 
and in several other countries of Europe. ' 
t A considerable number are mechanicks. 



4S VIEW OF THE tfNlTEl) STATES. 

in which slavery is allowed, to have the name of a cruel 
master. The situation of the slaves is generally more 
happy than that of the free blacks, in the states where 
slaves are kept ; but both classes are very much to be 
pitied, on account of their degraded state ; and it is 
matter of deep regret, that slavery was ever introduced 
into our country. 

The blame of introducing slavery, however, must not 
be ascribed to the present owners of slaves in this coun- 
try. Slavery is generally considered a great evil in the 
states where it is found ; and the wisest and best men of 
of those states would gladly be rid of it. But the slaves 
are so numerous, and their natural increase is so great,, 
that it is not easy to devise the means of setting them at 
liberty. To make them free, without putting them in a 
situation to get a comfortable living, would be cruelty 
instead of kindness, or justice; and to retain them in a 
state of slavery, without giving them instruction, would 
be cruelty also. It is clearly the duty of those who own 
slaves, to provide for their moral and religious instruc- 
tion,- — to teach them to read, and especially to read the 
bible, to observe the christian sabbath in a religious man- 
ner, and to keep all the commandments of God. With- 
out instruction the slaves will not be virtuous, nor faithful 
to their masters ; nor will they ever be prepared for liber- 
ty, should a way in other respects be opened for them to 
receive it."^ White people, who live in ignorance, gen- 
erally live in wickedness ; and people of all colours and 
conditions have continual need of instruction concerning 
the duties, they owe to God and to one another. 

Within a few years a large and respectable society 

* Much pains are taken in many places to teach the slaves. 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 49 

has been formed in the United States, called the Ameri- 
can Colonization Society. The object of this society is 
to provide a place of residence, out of this country, for 
black people who are already free ; and, in this way, to 
encourage masters to liberate their slaves. The society 
has already purchased, on the western coast of Africa, a 
territory as large as the state of Massachusetts, and has 
carried over to it more than two thousand persons. 
The name of the colony is Liberia. It is at present in 
a very prosperous state, and the Colonization Society 
hope to carry over many thousand more, and to be the 
means of bringing about, at some future period, the entire 
removal of slavery from the United States. Many peo- 
ple in the states where slaves are held, would be glad to 
set them at liberty, provided they could be carried to 
some place, where they could obtain a comfortable living, 
and enjoy the benefits of instruction. Such a place is 
Liberia ; and should divine Providence smile as we have 
reason to hope, upon the exertions of the society, there 
will be at a future day, a great, enlightened, and happy 
colony, or nation, of black people in that country.. 
Schools and churches have been already established 
there, and these will be multiplied as the colony in- 
creases. Thus the black people, whose fathers were 
brought to this country to be slaves, may be returned 
to the land of their fathers, and carry along with them 
the blessings of liberty, knowledge, and Christianity. 
Every friend to liberty, to virtue, and to mankind, must 
rejoice in all wise and successful endeavours to make the 
black people wise and happy ; and every white man in 
the United States, who loves his country, must heartily 
wish for the time when all his countrymen may enjoy 
equal rights and privileges. 



50 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

How many black people in the United States ? What is their condi- 
tion ? From what country were they originally brought 1 

How long since the first slaves were brought to this country 1 

When was the slave trade abolished in the United States ? 

How are slaves generally treated in this country ? 

What is the object of the American Colonization Society t What haa 
the society done ? 



CHAPTER XIV. 

Indians. 

The number of Indians now living within the limits of 
the United States, is not accurately known. It is sup- 
posed to be about two huadred thousand. In most of 
the old states there are a few still remaining, the misera- 
ble and degraded remnants of tribes, once large and 
powerful. They have been reduced to their present 
situation by wars with the white people, and by habits of 
intoxication and indolence. Their lands having been 
taken and cleared by the white people, they have lost 
their ancient advantages for hunting, and they have 
almost universally refused to adopt the means of liveli- 
hood made use of by civilized men. Even where they 
have, in some measure, adopted these means, they have 
manifested but little activity, diligence, or skill. The 
great obstacle to improvement among the Indians ap- 
pears to be the vice of drunkenness. This vice, it is 
probable, more than all other causes, renders them sot- 
tish, shiftless, and poor ; and prevents their making use 
of the means of instruction and other advantages which 
they might enjoy. 

At the south, in the States of Tennessee, Georgia, 
Alabama, and Missisippi, there are still remaining consid- 



VIEW OF TriE UNITED STATED. 51 

erable tribes of Indians ; namely, the Cherokees,* 
Creeks, Chickasaws, and Choctaws. These tribes live 
upon lands, which they respectively clainGi and hold as 
their own. The boundaries of the territory belonging 
to each tribe have been fixed by treaty or agreement 
Vi^ith the government of the United States. Within a 
few years, the people of these tribes have made consid- 
erable advances towards civilization ; of course their 
customs and their condition are very much altered from 
what they formerly were. As the game of their hunting 
grounds becomes scarce, they are obliged to find some 
other way of life besides hunting ; and through the in- 
struction and assistance afforded them by benevolent 
white people, they are now making many pleasing im- 
provements. 

By the aid of missionaries, who have been sent and 
supported among them, they have been instructed in the 
christian religion, and a considerable number appear to 
be real christians. They have also been taught the va- 
rious arts of civilized life, and besides having schools and 
churches established among them, they have fields en- 
closed and cultivated, cattle, sheep, and horses, barns, 
regular dwelling houses, and in some instances, magis^ 
trates, publick roads, and civil divisions into counties. 
They have looms, ploughs, and blacksmith's shops, and 
exercise various mechanical arts. Some of the Indians 
are wealthy planters, and own a number of slaves. 
They are commonly dressed in cotton cloth of their own 
manufacture. A considerable number of their children 
are taught to read, write, and cipher ; and the desire 

* A part of this tribe have removed within a few years, and settled on 
the Arkansas west of the Missisippi. 



52 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

of the parents to send their children to school, as well as 
the inclination of the children to learn is evidently in- 
creasing. The boys at school spend a part of their 
time in learning how to cultivate the ground, or in ac- 
quiring some useful trade. The girls are taught needle- 
work and the management of household affairs. 

A Cherokee by the name of Guess, has lately inven- 
ted a peculiar and easy mode of writing his native lan- 
guage ; and the use of his characters, or letters, is now 
pretty generally known throughout the Cherokee nation. 
Some books have been printed by white people in the 
languages of all the four tribes which have been men- 
tioned ; but the Cherokees have a printing press of their 
own, at which a news paper is printed in Cherokee and 
English. 

Great exertions are now made, by benevolent and 
christian white people, to give the Indians the bible as 
well as oth^r books in their own tongues. 

It is true that these tribes or nations still present a 
curious mixture of the manners and customs of savage 
and civilized life ; yet from the improvements which in 
various respects they have made, during fifteen or twenty 
years past, there is every reason to believe, that with 
continued aid and encouragement, they will become, at 
no distant day, enlightened, moral, and religious. The 
government of the United States has hitherto manifested 
a paternal regard for these tribes ; and it will be for the 
glory of our nation, as well as for the happiness of our 
red brethren, if we persevere in respecting their rights. 

West of the river Missisippi there is a great number 
of Indian tribes. Most of them, however, are small. 
With the exception of a few, who are connected with 



VIEW OF THE T NITED STATES. 53 

missionary stations, the Indians in that part of the United 
States are all savages, and quite destitute of the means 
of improvement. On the great western prairies, large 
droves of horses run wild ; and the Indians in those parts 
are much given to riding on horseback. They have guns 




Sioux Warrior; in the act of Charging. 



knives, blankets, and other articles which they purchase 
of the white traders, frequenting their country. They 
pay for what is thus purchased, in the skins of the buf- 
falo, deer, beaver, and other animals. The flesh of the 
animals they take, serves them for food. It is said that 
many tribes about the sources or heads of the Missisippi 
are supplied with a great part of their food from the wild 
rice, a plant which springs up in the water and is very 
productive. 

It will be seen from this chapter that the condition 

of almost all the Indian tribes within the limits of the 

United States, is changed from what it formerly was. 

Their implements of war, their dress, their tools, their 

5 



54 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES, 

cooking utensils, and in many instances, their manner 
of living, are greatly altered in consequence of their 
intercourse with white men. But it is painful to think 
how prone they have been to adopt the worst vices of 
white men ; how greedily they have exchanged their 
valuable furs and skins for strong drink, and how gene- 
rally they have contracted the habit of drunkenness. No 
tribe has ever formed an acquaintance with white m^n, 
without becoming drunkards. It is gratifying to know 
however, that the labours of christian missionaries are 
doing much to lessen the evils of drunkenness in the 
tribes among whom they are stationed. In some tribes 
severe laws have been made by the chiefs against the use 
of ardent spirits ; and generally as the Indians have 
enjoyed the means of christian instruction under favoura- 
ble circumstances, they have improved in their moral 
habits. 

There can be no question, it is our dutj^ as men, as 
christians, and as citizens of a free and enlightened gov- 
ernment, to extend as fast and as far as may be, the 
blessings of knowledge and civilization to the red men 
of our country. We owe them this duty, as they are 
descendants of the original owners of our soil ; as they 
are a part of the great family to which we belong ; and 
a3 they have recently given very encouraging evidence, 
that with well directed efforts they are quite capable of 
being enlightened and civilized. 

What is the probable number of Indians within the United States 3 ^^ 

What is said of those yet remaining in the old states ? 
In what states east of "^ the Missisippi are the most considerable tribes ? 
What are the names of these tribes ? Give an account of their situation T 
What is said of the Indians west of the Missisippi ? 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 00 

CHAPTER X\^. 
V'irginia* 

In the preceding cha}3ters5 having given a general view 
of the United States, I now propose to call the pupil's 
attention to each state separately. In doing this, I have 
thought it advisable to begin with the oldest of the states, 
and to proceed with the rest according to the order of 
time in which they respectively became either English 
colonies, or members of the Union. This method has 
been adopted with the purpose of fixing in the pupiPs 
mind some important historical facts and dates, and thus 
preparing him to read the history of his country. 

The first of the United States, in which a permanent 
settlement was made by white people, is Virginia. After 
several unsuccessful attempts, a settlement was com- 
menced in the year 1607, at Jamestown, on the northern 
bank of James River.* The people were sent over from 
England by a company of London Merchants ; and it 
was intended that the colonists should search for mines 
of gold and silver, cultivate the land, and trade with the 
Indians for the benefit of the company. But after 
remaining in the country about three years they vv^ere so 
reduced by famine and other calamities, that they deter- 
mined to return home to England : leaving their houses 
standing, they had actually set sail for that purpose. At 
the mouth of James River they were met by Lord 
Delaware, with supplies of men and provisions. He 
persuaded the disheartened colonists to go back to their 

* Jamestown is now in ruins. It is situated about forty miles from the 
mouth of the river. 



56 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

settlement; and under his judicious care, the colony 
began to flourish. In the year 1622, however, it was 
overtaken by a dreadful calamity. For some time the 
colonists had lived harmoniously with the Indians ; but 
the Indians now formed a plan to murder all their white 
neighbours, aud break up the colony. The plot was 
contrived and managed with great art ; and although it 
did not wholly succeed, yet more than three hundred 
men, women, and children, were murdered by the Indi- 
ans in one night.* This calamity was followed by an 
Indian war : the settlements not destroyed by the Indians 
were very much reduced, and the people threatened with 
famine. But at length the Indians were subdued and 
brought to terms of peace ; the colony revived, and 
began again to increase in wealth and numbers. Such 
was the origin of the state of Virginia. 

This state has the largest territory of any state in the 
Union. It contains about sixty-six thousand square miles. 
It is divided into one hundred and three counties, and 
the number of its inhabitants is about twelve hundred 
thousand. Of this population, not far from five hundred 
thousand are slaves. 

The eastern parts of the state are watered by the 
Potomac, Rappahannoc, and James Rivers ; the western 
parts by the Kenhawa and the Ohio ; and the southern 
parts by the Chowan and Roanoke. Beside these rivers 
and their branches, there are others of smaller size. 
The ridges of the Alleghany Mountains cross the state 
in a northeasterly and southwesterly direction. 

In respect to soil, surface, and population, Virginia 
may be divided into three parts : the eastern, the middle, 

a nd the western. ^ 

* The surviving colonists amounted to a^bout 1800. 



¥ifcW OF THE UNITED STATES* 



57 



The eastern part, and the smallest in extent, is low 
and flat, in some places marshy, and in others sandy. 
Except on the banks of the rivers, it is not fertile. Still 
it is the most populous part of the state. The blacks in 
this part are rather more numerous than the whites. 

The next, or middle, division is rough and hilly, and 
in some places mountainous. It is, however, the most 
fertile part of Virginia ; the population is nearly as dense 
as in the eastern part; and the blacks are about equal in 
number to the whites. 

West Virginia, or the third division, comprises nearly 
half the territory of the state. Its surface is uneven and 
mountainous ; but it contains much good land. The 
population is scattered and the slaves are few. 




Capitol of Virginia. 

The capital of Virginia is Richmond. This city is 

built on a slope, rising from the north bank of James 

River, at the head of tide waters. Its situation is fine, 

and its appearance very pleasing ; and being well situated 

5* 



58 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES, 

for trade and manufactures, it has an extensive com- 
merce. Richmond is indeed a wealthy and elegant city. 
Its population is over twelve thousand. 

At Norfolk, on Elizabeth River, which runs into James 
River near its mouth, is the principal harbour in the state. 
This town is largely engaged in foreign commerce. Its 
population is over eight thousand. 

Petersburg, on the Appomatox, a branch of James 
River, is a place of great trade in grain, flour, cotton, 
and tobacco. Its population is rising six thousand. 
Vessels of considerable size ascend James River as far 
as Richmond, and the Appomatox as far as Petersburg. 
Petersburg is twenty-five miles south of Richmond. 

Lynchburg, on the south bank of James River, one 
hundred and eighteen niiles west from Richmond, is 
distinguished for its trade and manufactures, being sur^ 
rounded by a fertile and well cultivated country. Be« 
tween Richmond and Lynchburg, James River is navi^ 
gable for boats ; and vast quantities of produce are 
transported upon it. 

Fredericksburg, Staunton, and Winchester, in the 
more northerly part of the state, are considerable and 
flourishing towns. The only town of much importance 
in the western division of Virginia is Wheeling, on the 
river Ohio, and in the northwest corner of the state. 
Wheeling is a growing place of much trade. 

Virginia has but few large towns, and none very large. 
Large towns are commonly built up by commerce ; but 
the people of Virginia are mostly engaged in agriculture. 
They raise tobacco, wheat, Indian corn, and in the 
southern counties, some cotton. Coal and iron are 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES* 59^ 

abundant in the central and western parts of the state f 
but they are not much worked at present. 

The State of Virginia has a large fund for the support 
of schools ; but education is not so much and so gener- 
ally attended to as is desirable. Besides the Virginia 
University there are three colleges, namely, William and 
Mary College, Washington College, and Hampden Sid- 
ney College. The latter is a respectable and growing, 
institution. 

The Virginia University has recently been established. 
It is very delightfully situated, at Charlottes-Ville, in 
Albemarle County. The buildings for the accommoda- 
tion of professors and students, are large and expensive, 
and the Institution promises to be very useful. 

Near Hampden Sidney College is a school called a 
Theological Seminary, at which young gentlemen are 
prepared to become preachers of the gospel. There 
are also many schools or academies in the different parts 
of the state. 

Virginia has always been a very important state in the 
Union. It has furnished four Presidents of the United 
States, and many other celebrated men ; and it is 
endeared to all the citizens of the Union, as the native 
state of George Washington. 

What is said of the first settlement of Virginia ? WTiere was it made ? 

Who sent the people over from England, and for what purpose ? Did the 
plan succeed ? 

How long before the Colonists became discouraged ? What course did 
they take 1 Who met them at the mouth of James River, and what fol- 
lowed ? 

What great calamity befel the colony in 1622, and what is said in relation 
to it? 

What is said of the territory of Virginia ? What number of people ? How 
many slaves ? 

What is said of the eastern part of Virginia ? Of the middle ? Of the west- 
ern ? 

What is the capital of Virginia, and what is said of it ? 



60 View of the united states. 

What other important towns^ and where situated ? 

How are most of the people employed^ and what do they raise ? 

What is said of coal and iron ? 

What is said of schools and education ? Of the Virginia University, and 

of the Colleges ? 
For what is Virginia particularly distinguished ? 



CHAPTER XVL 

Massachusetts. 

After Virginia, Massachusetts is the oldest English 
settlement within the limits of the United States. A 
number of pious and enterprising men fled from England 
to this state to enjoy religious liberty ; that is, to enjoy 
the liberty of worshipping and serving God according to 
their own understanding of his mind and will, as reveal- 
ed in the Bible. A company consisting of one hundred 
and one persons, men, women, and children, landed at 
Plymouth near the end of the year 1620.'^ This settle- 
ment was called the Colony of Plymouth. The colo- 
nists endured many hardships from the severity of the 
climate and the want of proper food. One half of them 
died within less than six months from the time of land- 
ing, and for a number of years, the progress of the colony 
was slow. 

In the year 1628 a much larger and more wealthy 
company came over from England, and landed at Salem. 
Here they began a settlement, which was called the 
Colony of Massachusetts Bay. 

Boston was founded two years afterward, and the 
country around it gradually settled. The colonies of 
Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay were united into one 
colony in the year 1692. This united colony, after the 

* December 22. 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 61 

declaration of Independence, became the State or Com- 
monwealth of Massachusetts. 

With respect to territory, Massachusetts is among the 
small states : but few of the states have more wealth or 
a greater number of white inhabitants ; and none have 
more intelligence and enterprise. This state contains 
about seven thousand five hundred square miles, is divided 
into fourteen counties, and upwards of three hundred 
towns ; and has a population of about six hundred 
thousand. 

The principal rivers of Massachusetts, are the Con- 
necticut and the Merrimack, mentioned in a preceding 
chapter. The position and course of these rivers of 
Massachusetts will be best learned by looking at the 
map. The Housatonick rises in the western part of the 
state, and flowing southerly through a ferdle and pleas- 
ant country, enters the state of Connecticut. 

The surface of Massachusetts in the southeast quarter 
and near the sea is level ; farther back is a fine hilly 
country, and the western part of the state is mountainous. 
The hilly and mountainous parts have in general a good 
soil, while the level tracts are sandy and poor. The 
meadows on the banks of the Connecticut, however, and 
of some other streams, afford a very rich soil, and pro- 
duce abundant crops. The chief agricultural products 
of the state, are grass, beef, pork, mutton, butter, cheese, 
Indian corn, rye, oats, barley, wheat, flax, potatoes, 
turnips, and apples. 

The state abounds in a species of stone much used in 
building, called granite ; and in the western part are ex-, 
tensive quarries of beautiful marble, 



62 VIEW 01^ THE UNITED STATES. 

The sea coast is well supplied with harbours, and the 
people of Massachusetts are largely engaged in com- 
merce, navigation, and the fisheries. Vast quantities of 
cod and mackerel are taken yearly, for home consump- 
tion, and for exportation. Many vessels are employed 
in the whale fishery, and many more in carrying the 
productions of the southern states to foreign countries. 

The capital of Massachusetts is Boston. This city is 
built on a peninsula between Charles River and the sea. 
[ts harbour is extensive and beautiful, capable of admit- 
ting, the largest ships, yet so narrow at the entrance as 
oot to allov^ more than two ships to come in side by side. 

Boston is a place of great wealth, and is distinguished 
for its admirable system of publick education, as well as 
for religious and benevolent institutions. The foreign 
trade of this city is greater than any other city in the 
Union, except New- York. It is connected with the 
country, by the neck joining the peninsula on which it 
stands, to the main land, by a very long and expensive 
causeway, and by six long and beautiful bridges. The 
population of Boston is upwards of sixty thousand. 

Salem is a large and wealthy commercial town, con- 
taining about thirteen thousand inhabitants. Newburyport, 
Gloucester, Marblehead, Beverly, Plymouth, Barnstable, 
Nantucket, and New-Bedford, are all considerable towns, 
having some foreign commerce, and more or less largely 
concerned in the fisheries. The whale fisheries are 
chiefly carried on from New-Bedford and Nantucket, the 
latter of which is on an island of the same name, about 
twenty miles from the south shore of the state. 

Worcester near the centre of the state, Springfield and 
Northampton on Connecticut River, and Pittsfield near 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 63 

the western boundary, with many others, are flourishing 
and beautiful inland towns. The people of Massachu- 
setts are very largely engaged in the manufacture of 
cotton and woollen goods. The largest manufacturing 
town is Lowell on the Merrimack. There are extensive 
factories at Walthara, Troy, and many other places. In 
this state are three important canals ; namely, Middlesex 
canal twenty-seven miles long, connecting the waters of 
Boston harbour with Merrimack river ; Blackstone canal 
forty miles long, extending from Worcester to Providence 
in the State of Rhode-Island, and Farmington canal, 
extending from Northampton to New Haven in the State 
of Connecticut. The whole length of this canal is eigh- 
ty-six miles. 

In Massachusetts great attention is paid to general 
education. Every town is required by law to raise mon- 
ey for the support of schools, called district schools. Be- 




Cambridge College. 

sides these there are many academies and private schools. 
Harvard University at Cambridge, three miles west of 



64 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

Boston, is the richest and oldest institution of the kind in 
the country. Williams College at Williamstown in the 
northwest corner of the state, and Amherst College at 
Amherst, eight miles east of Connecticut River, are res- 
pectable and flourishing institutions. The Seminary at 
Andover is the most distinguished theological school in 
the United States. 

Massachusetts took a leading part in the revolutionary 
war, and has since been regarded as a very important 
member of the Union. She has furnished two presidents 
of the United States, and many other great and excellent 
men. 

When and where was the first settlement made in the state of Massachu- 
setts ? 

By whom was the settlement made, and what was it called ? 

When and where was the second settlement made ? What was it called ? 

When were the two colonies united ? 

What is said of the territory of Massachusetts ? 

How many counties ? How many towns ? 

Number of inhabitants 1 Principal rivers ? 

What is said of the surface and soil ? 

What are the agricultural products ? 

What pursuits are followed by the people of the seaport towns ? 

What towns are most largely engaged in the fisheries ? In the whale fish- 
eries ? 

What inland towns, and what is said of them ? 

What is said of manufactnres, and which is the largest manufacturing 
town. 

What is said of education ? Of common or district schools ? Of the Uni- 
versity ? Of the Colleges, and Theological Seminary ? 

What concluding remark is made concerning Massachusetts ? 



CHAPTER XVII. 

JVezo-Hampshire. 

As early as the year 1623, small settlements were 
made at Portsmouth and Dover. Portsmouth is about 
three miles from the mouth of Piscataqua River, and 
Dover about ten miles farther up. These settlements 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 65 

were made for the purpose of carrying on the fishing 
business and trade with the Indians. The valuable arti- 
cles obtained from the Indians consisted in furs and skins, 
which the white men received at very low rates in ex- 
change for trinkets, knives, and other articles, imported 
from England. The early progress of these settlements 
was slow, and the state of society for some time disorderly. 
In the year 1638 a settlement was begun at Exeter, 
fourteen miles southwest from Portsmouth, by Mr. John 
Wheelwright, a minister, who had been obliged to leave 
Massachusetts on account of religious differences. He 
was attended by a number of followers, who formed a 
civil government for themselves. The three settlements, 
Portsmouth, Dover, and Exeter, had each for a short 
time a separate government ; but being feeble, and very 
much distracted by internal dissentions, they requested 
Massachusetts to receive them under her jurisdiction. 
Their request was granted, and they continued in con- 
nexion with that colony till the year 1679, when New- 
Hampshire was formed into a separate province. Their 
connexion with Massachusetts lasted thirty-eight years. 

This state contains about nine thousand square miles, 
and is divided into eight counties. The number of towns 
IS upwards of two hundred ; and of the people, about 
two hundred and eighty thousand. It is the most moun- 
tainous state in the Union, and much of its surface is 
so rocky and broken, as to be unfit for settlement. The 
White Mountains, in the northerly part of the state, it has 
already been said, are the highest in the United States 
east of the Missisippi. Besides these there are many 
other lofty summits. The principal rivers are the Con- 
necticut, the Merrimack, and the Piscataqua, already 
6 



66 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES, 

mentioned. These have many branches within the limits 
of New-Hampshire, all of which are more or less impor- 
tant for the water privileges they afford. 

Notwithstanding the surface of New-Hampshire is in 
general broken and mountalnouSy there are in different 
parts of the state considerable tracts of good land. On 
the banks of the Connecticut and Merrimack, and of 
some of their branches, are very fertile meadows. The 
state is better adapted to pasturage than tillage, and fur- 
nishes large numbers of cattle and sheep for the Boston 
market. It is not deficient however in most of the pro- 
ductions common in the northeastern states. Much of 
the northern part of the state remains unsettled. 

New-Hampshire touches the sea only at its southeast 
corner. The only harbour is that of Portsmouth ; but 
it is one of the best on the Atlantick coast. The strong 
current of the river keeps it quite free from ice during, 
winter. 

Portsmouth is by far the largest and wealthiest town 
in the state. It is handsomely built, has considerable 
shipping and foreign trade, and about eight thousand 
inhabitants. 

At Dover is a very extensive manufacturing establish- 
ment, for cotton goods and other articles. Similar es- 
tablishments are numerous in the state. 

The settlers of New-Hampshire were principally from 
Massachusetts, and they naturally brought with them the 
customs and institutions of the parent state. Education 
is much encouraged. Very generous provision is made 
by law for the support of common schools, and there are 
several flourishing academies. Phillips Exeter Academy 
at Exeter, and Dartmouth College at Hanover on Con- 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 67 

necticut River, are distinguished institutions. The latter 
ranks high among the colleges of New-England. 

The seat of government is Concord, on Merrimack 
River. Here are an elegant State House, and a pleasant 




New-Hampshire State -House. 

and flourishing village. Concord enjoys an easy inter- 
course with Boston, by means of the river and the 
Middlesex Canal. There are many other flourishing 
towns in the State, some of which contain from two to 
three thousand inhabitants. 

When and where were the first settlements made in New-Hampshire ? 

When and by whom was Exeter settled ? 

How were these settlements governed for a time ? How afterwards ? 

When was New-Hampshire formed into a distinct province ? 

How large is the territory of New-Hampshire ? Number of counties ? of 

inhabitants ? 
What is said of the face of the country 1 of the rivers ? of the soil, and 

productions 1 
What part of New-Hampshire touches the sea ? 
What is said of Portsmouth harbour ? of Portsmoutli ? Dover ? Concord, 

and other towns ? 
What is said of education, and of literary institutions in New-Hampshire ? 



68 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

CHAPTER XVIIL 

Connecticut. 

The parent of Connecticut is Massachusetts. In 1 633 
a number of men from Plymouth, with materials for a 
house all prepared, sailed for Connecticut River, with 
the design of securing the trade and friendship of the In- 
dians in that quarter. Some Dutch people from New- 
Netherlands, afterwards called New- York, had just 
entered. the river and taken a station about fifty miles 
from its mouth, at the place where Hartford now stands. 
Here they had erected a light fort and mounted two 
pieces of cannon. When the Plymouth adventurers 
arrived at this place, they were forbidden by the Dutch 
to proceed up the river, and ordered to strike their col- 
ours. The adventurers however went resolutely forward, 
and landed on the west side of the river a few miles 
above. Here they erected the first house in Connec- 
ticut. The Dutch, in the course of a year or two, left 
the river. 

But no permanent settlement was made in Connecticut 
till 1635, when the towns of Windsor, Hartford, and 
Weathersfield, were commenced by people from Massa- 
chusetts.^ These people were principally from three 
towns in the vicinity of Boston ; namely, Dorchester, 
Newton, and Watertown. Men, women, and children, 
travelled through the wilderness upwards of a hundred 
miles to the banks of the Connecticut. They took with 
them horses, cattle, and swine, and were two weeks in 

* Windsor is seven miles above^, and Weathersfield four miles below^ 
Hartford. 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 69 

performing the journey. The people from Dorchester 
made their journey in the autumn of 1635, and in June 
1636 nearly all the people of Newton followed them. 
These emigrants from Massachusetts formed a govern- 
ment for themselves, and for many years lived happily 
under it. 

In 1637 a wealthy company from. England, at the head 
of whom were two merchants and a famous minister of 
London, arrived at Boston. Great pains were taken to 
persuade them to settle in Massachusetts ; but they pre- 
ferred establishing a colony by themselves. Accordingly, 
having purchased lands of the Indians, they planted 
themselves at the place now called New-Haven. They 
were shortly after joined by other people from England, 
and became a very flourishing colony. New-Haven 
remained a distinct colony till the year 1665, when it 
was united with Connecticut under one governor. 

The State of Connecticut contains about five thousand 
square miles, and is divided into eight counties. These 
are subdivided into towns, like the counties of Massachu- 
setts and New-Hampshire. The population in Connec- 
ticut is nearly three hundred thousand. 

The principal rivers of this state are the Connecticut, 
the Hous-sa-ton-ic and the Thames,* These rivers run 
south, and fall into Long-Island Sound. The surface of 
the state is very agreeably diversified by hills, vallies, 
and plains. The soil is generally good and well cultivat- 
ed. The productions are similar to those of Massachu- 
setts. In some towns considerable attention is paid to 
the raising of silk worms. 

* Temz, 



70 VIEW OF THE iTNITEi) STATES. 

The legislature meets alternately at Hartford and 
New-Haven. Hartford is a fine regular city, of about 
six thousand inhabitants, situated at the head of sloop 
navigation, t)n the Connecticut. It has considerable trade 
and extensive manufactures. 

New-Hav^en is situated on a plain, at the head of a 
bay, which makes up from Long-Island Sound. It has 
about ten thousand inhabitants, and is one of the most 
beautiful cities in the United States. It is the largest and 
most commercial town in Connecticut. The harbour is 
capacious and safe, but the water is not deep enough to 
admit the largest vessels. It is connected with North- 
ampton in Massachusetts by the Farmington Canal. 

Middletown, on the Connecticut, below Hartford, and 
Norwich, on the Thames, have considerable commerce ; 
but the best harbour in the state is at New-London, near 
the mouth of the Thames. Pleasant and flourishing towns 
are very numerous in Connecticut, and the people are 
noted for industry and enterprise. 



Hartford Deaf and Dumb Asylum. 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES* 71 

Great attention is paid to education by the people of 
Connecticut. They have a very large state fund, for 
the support of common schools. At New-Haven is Yale 
College, one of the most eminent and flourishing semin- 
aries in the Union. At Hartford is Washington College, 
lately established, but promising great usefulness } and at 
the same place is an asylum for educating the deaf and 
dumb. The success of this latter institution has been 
truly great and wonderful. Beside those already men- 
tioned, there are many other flourishing and useful sem- 
inaries of learning in Connecticut. This state has pro- 
duced many distinguished and excellent men. 

When and by whom were the first permanent settlements made in Con-^ 
necticut 1 What towns did they settle ? Where are they situated ? 

What is said of the government 1 

When and by whom was New-Haven settled ? What is said of this colo- 
ny ? When was it united with Connecticut under one governor 1 

How many square miles in Connecticut ? How many counties ? How 
many inhabitants 1 What are the principal rivers ? What is said of the 
surface 7 soil, and productions ? At what places does the legislature meet ? 
What is said of Hartford ? of New-Haven ? of Middletown, and Nor- 
wich ? Where is the best harbour ? What is said of other towns ? 

What is said of education, and the means of supporting common schools t 
of Yale College; and other Seminaries ? 



CHAPTER XIX. 

Maryland, 

In 1632 the king of England granted the territory of 
Maryland to Cecilius Calvert, Lord Baltimore. Two 
years afterwards his brother George Calvert arrived at 
the mouth of the Potomack, with two hundred settlers. 
He sailed up the river, and landed at St Mary's. This 
colony was mostly composed of gentlemen of good fami- 
lies, and was established on the principle of freedom in 
religion, without allowing pre-eminence to any particular 
sect. 



72 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

The lands for settlement were purchased of the Indi- 
ans, and fifty acres granted and secured to each of the 
settlers. The people elected a house of assembly to 
make laws for the colony, but the appointment of gov- 
ernour, and the right of approving or disapproving the 
acts of the assembly, were retained by the proprietor, 
and remained in the family of Lord Bahimore till the 
revolution. 

Maryland contains about ten thousand square miles 
exclusive of water, is divided into nineteen coi!inties, and 
has over four hundred thousand inhabitants. Of these^, 
upwards of a hundred thousand are slaves. 

The Potomack forms the southwestern boundary of 
Maryland, and the Susquehanna enters the state Just be- 
fore it meets the waters of Chesapeake Bay. This bay 
divides the state into two parts, called eastern and west- 
ern shores. Eight of the counties are in the eastern 
part, most of which is an extensive plain., sandy and low, 
and intersected by creeks and rivers. The western part 
near the bay is of a similar character, but becomes un- 
even and hilly at some distance from it. The western 
extremity of the state is mountainous. Maryland fur- 
nishes a great variety of soil. The level parts are most 
uniform, and are tolerably productive. Some very pro- 
ductive land is found in the hilly parts ; but the most 
fruitful soil is found in the vallies of the mountainous, 
part. The principal productions of the soil are wheat, 
tobacco, and Indian corn. Iron ore, coal, and limestone 
are found in abundance among the mountains. 

On the north side of Petapsco River, fourteen miles 
from its entrance into Chesapeake Bay, is Baltimore. 
Few cities have bad a more rapid growth than this. In 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 73 

population it is the third in the Union, containing over 
eighty thousand inhabitants. The city is generally well 
built, and mostly of brick. Many of the houses, espe- 
cially those lately erected, display great elegance and 
taste. The streets are well paved. The principal one, 
called Market street, is about a mile long, runs parallel 
with the water, and is intersected at right angles by va- 
rious other streets. 

The Washington monument, near the compact part of 
the town, is a noble structure, one hundred and sixty- 
three feet high. On the top of this monument stands a 
statue of Washington. The harbour of Baltimore is not 
large, but safe and convenient. Its commerce is great, 
especially in tobacco and flour. It is the greatest flour 
market in the world. In the neighbourhood of the city 
there are more than sixty flour and corn mills, beside 
several extensive cotton factories and iron works. Bal- 
timore has always had much of the trade of the western 
states. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, a vast work 
lately begun, is intended to facilitate the intercourse be- 
tween the city and the valley of the Ohio. 

Annapolis, twenty-eight miles south of Baltimore, a 
pleasant village of nearly three thousand inhabitants, is 
the seat of government. Here is an elegant State House. 

The other considerable towhs are Easton on the east 
shore, Frederickstown, Hagerstown, and Cumberland in 
the western part. A great road over the Allegany Moun- 
tains, built at the expense of the United States, passes 
through Cumberland. 

In this State education is tolerably well attended to. 
There are several academies supported in part by the 
state. At Baltimore there is one of the most flourishing 



74 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

medical schools in the country. There are also two 
other institutions, called St Mary's College and Baltimore 
College. 

Maryland has furnished many distinguished men, es- 
pecially in the profession of the law. 

When and to whom was the territory of Maryland granted ? 

When and where was the first settlement made 1 

What is said of the character of the settlers^ and of the conditions of the 

settlement ? 
How was the colony governed ? 
How large is the territory of Maryland ? How many counties 1 How many 

inhabitants ? 
How many counties east of Chesapeake Bay ? What is said of the land in 

these counties ? in the other counties ? 
What are the principal productions of the soil ? 

What minerals are found in the mountainous parts ? ' 

What is said of Baltimore ? of its harbour and commerce ? of the Baltimore 

and Ohio Rail-road ? 
What is the seat of government ? 
What other considerable towns ? 
What is said of education ? 



CHAPTER XX. 

Rhode-Island. 

DissENTiONS in Massachusetts on the subject of religion 
caused the settlement of Rhode-Island. Roger Williams, 
minister of Salem, being banished from Massachusetts on 
account of his religious opinions, established himself with 
five others in the year 1636 at Providence. A grant of 
the land on which they settled, was made by the Indiana 
in that quarter, and their first setdement was called Provi- 
dence, on account of the Divine Goodness in providing 
for them a safe retreat among /nenrf/y savages from the 
hostility and violence of christian brethren. 

Soon after this, Ann Hutchinson, a woman of much 
talent and influence, with a number of followers, also left 



VIEW OF THE UN11*ED STATED. 75 

Massachusetts on account of religious difficulties. They 
settled on an island in Narragansett Bay, called Rhode- 
Island.^ The island was purchased of the Indians, and 
the first settlement made in the year 163S. For a time 
Rhode-Island and Providence were distinct colonies ; 
but in the year 1647, they were united under one gov- 
ernment. 

In this colony, perfect religious toleration was practised ; 
and it deserves to be mentioned to the honour of Roger 
Williams, that although he was banished from Massachu- 
setts, and his colony was afterwards refused admission 
into a confederacy of the New-England colonies for 
mutual protection, yet he never showed any resentment* 
He employed himself in acts of kindness towards the 
Massachusetts people, always giving them, as he was able, 
timely warning of the hostile designs of their enemies. 

Rhode-Island in extent is the smallest of the states » 
Exclusive of water, its area is not more than twelve hun- 
dred square miles. It is divided into five counties, which 
are subdivided into towns. The population is nearly one 
hundred thousand. 

The western and northwestern parts of the state are 
hilly and rocky, with a poor soil ; but the islands of Nar- 
ragansett Bay, and the country bordering upon it, are 
very fertile, and abound in the productions common to 
the New-England States. This bay is one of the most 
beautiful sheets of water in the world, and is of great 
advantage to the state. Near the northern extremity of 
this bay, is Providence. Here is a good harbour^ with 
water deep enough to admit vessels of nine hundred tons* 

* This island was called by the Indians Aquetnuk, and is about fifteea 
miles long from north to south, and three and a half miles wide. 



76 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

Providence is one of the busiest and most flourishing 
towns in the United States, being very extensively en- 
gaged in commerce and manufactures. A profitable 
intercourse between Providence and Worcester in Mas- 
sachusetts is maintained by means of the Blackstone 
Canal. The population of Providence is about fifteen 
thousand. 

Newport, on Rhode-Island, and near the entrance of 
the bay, is celebrated for its excellent harbour. It is an 
ancient and pleasant town, with about seven thousand 
inhabitants. Bristol and Warren on the eastern shore of 
Narragansett Bay, are pleasant and flourishing towns, with 
good harbours and considerable trade. Pawtucket, at 
the beautiful falls of Pawtucket River, is a very flourish- 
ing village, and distinguished for manufactures. In pro- 
portion to the number of people, no state in the Union is 
so extensively engaged in manufactures as Rhode-Island. 

Education in this state has been rather neglected, the 
towns not having been required by law to support com- 
mon schools, as in the other New-England States. Laws, 
however, have recently been passed, very favourable to 
such schools. Academies are maintained in some of the 
towns. Brown University at Providence is a respectable 
and growing institution. 

When, where, and by whom, was the first settlement made in Rhode- 
Island ? When, where, and by whom, was the second settlement made ? 
What caused these settlements ? When were they united under one 
government ? 

JHow large is Rhode-Island ? How many counties ? How many inhabitants ? 

What is said of the soil and productions of Rhode-Island ? 

What is said of Providence ? of Newport and other towns ? of manufac- 
tories ? of education ? , 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 77 

CHAPTER XXI. 
JVorth' Carolina. 

In 1663 a large tract of land south of Virginia, includ- 
ing what are now the two Carolinas, was granted by the 
king of England to several English noblemen, who took 
immediate measures for the settlement of a colony. 
Previous to this grant, some small settlements had been 
made near Albermarle Sound, by people from Virginia, 
and around Cape Fear, by emigrants from New-England. 
In 1665 a colony arrived from Barbadoes, one of the 
West-India Islands, and settled on the south bank of Cape 
Fear River. In 1680 Charleston, the capital of the col- 
ony, was founded, and soon became a considerable and 
iflourishing town. In 1729 Carolina was divided into the 
two provinces of North and of South Carolina, and a gov- 
ernment for each established under the king of England. 

North-Carolina contains about fifty thousand square 
miles, is divided into sixty-three counties, and has a pop- 
ulation of near seven hundred thousand, of whom over 
two hundred thousand are slaves. 

The principal rivers are the Roanoake, Neuse, and 
Cape Fear River, all flowing in a southeasterly direc- 
tion through the state. 

As respects surface, soil and climate, North-Carolina 
may be divided into three distinct parts. For sixty miles 
inland from the Atlantick, including nearly half the state, 
it is a level, sandy, barren plain, covered with immense 
pine forests. Turpentine, tar, and pine timber are among 
the principal productions of the state. The land imme- 
diately on the banks of rivers is fertile, but such situations 
are very unhealthy. To the sandy plain a fine hilly 
country succeeds with much fertile soil. The remainder 
7 



78 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATE^. - 

of the state is mountainous. The hilly and mountainous 
parts are of nearly equal extent. Cotton and tobacco 
are the principal crops of the low country ; grain of vari- 
ous kinds, is the chief product of the rest of the state. 
The hilly country is most populous, the mountainous least 
so. On the plains the slaves are nearly equal to the 
whites in number ; in the hilly country the whites are 
twice as numerous as the blacks ; among the mountains 
there are but few slaves. 

Iron ore abounds in the western part of the state, and 
gold is found in considerable quantities. It is found 
mixed with the soil generally in small grains, but some- 
times in lumps of considerable size. 

In this state are no large towns nor good harbours. 
The largest town and the best harbour, is Wilmington 
near the mouth of Cape Fear River. Fayetteville, ninety 
miles up the river is a place of considerable trade ; the 
same may be said of Edington on Albemarle Sound, of 
Washington on Pamlico River, and of Newbern on the 
Neuse. Raleigh, near the centre of the state, is the seat 
of government. Here is a handsome slate-house, in 
which is an elegant marble statue of W^ashington. 

The Dismal-Swamp Canal unites Albemarle Sound 
with James River in Virginia. It is twenty-three miles 
long and so wide and deep as to be passable for sloops 
and other small vessels. 

Education is not sufficiently attended to in this state. 
There is however a respectable institution called the uni- 
versity of North-Carolina, at Chapel Hill, twenty-eight 
miles northwesterterly from Raleigh. 

In what year and to whom was' the territory^ including the two Carolinas, 

granted ? 
Had any settlement been previously made in this territory ? Where and 

by whom ? When was Charleston the capital of the colony founded ? 



li 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 79 

When was the colony divided ? 

By whom was the government for each division established ? 

How large is the territory of North-Carolina? Into how many counties is 
it divided ? What is the population ? How many slaves ? 

What is said of the principal rivers ? 

As respects surface and soil how may North-Carolina be divided ? 

What is said of the divisions respectively ? 

What are the principal crops of the low country ? What of the rest of the 
state ? What ores are found in the state ? 

What is said of towns and harbours in North- Carolina? Which is the lar- 
gest town? What other towns are mentioned? Which is the seat of 
government and what is said of it ? What canal is mentioned and what 
is said of it ? What is said of education ? 



CHAPTER XXII. 

JYeW'York. 

The mouth of Hudson River was discovered in 1607^ 
by Henry Hudson, a Dutch navigator. The next year, 
the Dutch sent ships to the river and established a trade 
there with the Indians. In 1614 they built Fort Amster- 
dam, where the city of New- York now stands ; they 
called the village which grew up around it. New- Amster- 
dam. The country in general was known by the name 
of the Nev/-Netherlands. In 1623 the Dutch sailed up 
the river and built Fort Orange, where is now the city 
of Albany. These establishments were rather places of 
trade ttian regular colonies, but in 1629 a Dutch colony 
under governour Van Twiller arrived at New- Amster- 
dam, and at this time began the first permanent settle- 
ment of the Dutch. The colony gradually increased, 
till in 1664, the Dutch settlements in America were con- 
quered by the English, and granted by the king of Eng- 
land to his brother, the Duke of York. From him, both 
New- Amsterdam, and the New-Netherlands received the 
name of New- York. The countryjnow began to be set- 
tled by the English, yet the population advanced but 



80 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES^. 

slowly ; and till after the revolution the settlements 
were confined to the vicinity of the Hudson. Since the 
revolution the western part of the state has been settled 
with wonderful rapidity and in a great measure, by emi- 
grants from New-England y New- York is at present, in 
point of population and wealth, the first of the states. 

The area of New- York is forty-six thousand square 
miles ; it is divided into fifty-six counties, and has a pop- 
ulation of one million eight hundred thousand. 

The principal river of New-York is the Hudson, but 
beside this there are several others of importance. The 
Mohawk is a branch of the Hudson, and falls into it a 
little above Albany. The Genesee, Oswego and Black 
Rivers run into Lake Ontario. The St. Lawrence forms 
a part of the northeastern boundary of the state, and the 
southern parts are watered by the Delaware, the Sus* 
quehannah, and the Allegany. Lakes Ontario and Erie 
lie between New-York and Canada ; Lake Champlain 
separates New-York from Vermont ; and wtolly within 
New- York are Lake George, Oneida, Cayuga,^ and Sen- 
eca Lakes, as well as many others. All these are beau- 
tiful sheets of water. 

The surface of this state is much diversified". The 
eastern part has some level tracts, but in general it is hilly 
and mountainous. The western part is; mostly level or 
moderately uneven, except towards the southern border, 
where it becomes hilly and broken. The greater part 
of the state has a good, soil; a considerable portion, par- 
ticularly the level tracts in the west, is remarkably fertile,, 
Wheat is principally cultivated, but the other kinds of 
grain, and also the grasses succeed well. Much of the 
gtate is well adapted to grazing. Considerable tracts of 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 81 

land in the western and northern parts yet remain in a 
wild state. 

Iron ore, limestone, and marble^ abound, and in sev- 
eral of the western counties are valuable salt springs, 
from which large qauntities of salt are manufactured. 
The mineral waters of Saratoga and Ballston are famous 
for their medicinal virtues, they are the most celebrated 
springs of the kind in America, and are visited every 
summer, by multitudes from all parts of the United 
States in pursuit of health, or pleasure. 

The Erie and Champlain canals contribute much to 
the prosperity of New- York. The Erie canal extends 
from the Hudson to lake Erie, a distance of three hun- 
dred and sixty miles. It has eighty-one locks chiefly of 
stone, by which the ascents and descents are passed. 
The country through which the canal passes is very fer- 
tile, and its trade, population, and agriculture have in- 
creased rapidly since the canal was undertaken. The 
Champlain canal sixty-four miles in length, unites the 
Hudson with lake Champlain. The Oswego canal thir- 
ty-eight miles long, unites the Erie canal to lake Onta- 
rio, and the Seneca canal twenty miles in length unites 
Seneca and Cayuga lakes with the Erie canal. In the 
southeastern part of the state, the Delaware and Hudson 
canal sixty-four miles long forms a connection between 
the rivers Hudson and Delaware. f 

The city of New- York, is the capital of the state, and 
in point of population, wealth and commerce, by far the 
first city in the United States. Its population is about 

* Marble is only a fine kind of limestone, capable of taking a polish. 

t All these canals have been undertaken and completed within a few 
years. 

7* 



82 VIEW OP THE UNITED STATES. 

two hundred thousand, and its commerce is very exten- 
sive. New- York is situated near the mouth of the Hud- 
son, on the southern point of Manhattan Island. This 
island, fourteen miles long, and from half a mile to two 
miles wide, is separated from the main land on one side 
by the Hudson, and on the other by a channel commu- 
nicating with Long-Island Sound, called the East River. 
The harbour of New-York is a capacious bay, containing 
several islands ; it is well fortified, and communicates 
with Long-Island Sound and Newark Bay, as well as with 
the Atlantick. 

Many of the streets of the city near the water are 
crooked and narrow, but those recently laid out are 
straight and spacious. The principal street is Broadway, 
which runs through the centre of the city, over the most 
elevated ground, and nearly equi-distant from the two 
rivers ; it is three miles long, and generally well built. A 




City Hall. 

part of it is splendid. The Battery is a beautiful publick 
walk at the southern extremity of the island containing 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 83 

several acres. The publick buildings of New-York are 
very elegant. The City Hall, built of white marble, has 
been thought the most magnificent building in the United 
States. 

One hundred and sixty miles north of New- York, near 
the head of tide waters on the Hudson, is the city of Air 
bany. This is the seat of government, and is a place of 
great trade ; for it is here that the Erie and Champlain 
Canals join the Hudson. The population is near twenty 
thousand. 

Utica, on the canal, near the centre of the state, ninety- 
three miles west of Albany, is the third town in respect 
to population and commercial importance. This fine 
town which now contains about twelve thousand inhabi- 
tants, has grown up with remarkable rapidity. It would 
be a task to enumerate all the beautiful and flourishing 
towns in this state. It will suffice to mention, Hudson 
at the head of ship navigation, and Troy at the head of 
sloop navigation on Hudson River, Buffalo on Lake 
Erie, Rochester on the Genesee, Ithaca on Cayuga 
Lake, Geneva on Senaca Lake, Can-an-dai-gua on 
Lake Canandaigua, Plattsburg an important harbour on 
Lake Champlain, and Sacket's Harbour on Lake Ontario. 

Long-Island, by far the largest island in the United 
States, belongs to New-York. It is about one hundred 
and forty miles in length, and on an average ten miles 
in breadth. The south side of the island is flat land of 
a light sandy soil, bordered on the sea coast by large 
tracts of salt meadow. The soil, however, is well adap- 
ted to the cultivation of grain. The north side of the 
island is hilly ; it has a strong soil, and is productive in 
grain, hay, and fruits. The eastern end abounds with 



84 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES* 

wood and furnishes large supplies of this article for the 
New- York market. Brooklyn near the western end is 
the principal town. 

New-York has a large school fund ; and schools are 
well supported throughout the state. There are numer- 
ous academies and four colleges : viz. Columbia College 
in the City of New- York ; Union College at Schenectady, 
which is the most flourishing ; Hamilton College at Clin- 
ton near Utica, and Geneva College at Geneva. The 
United States have an important school for military 
instruction at West Point on the Hudson. 

The State of New-York has produced many able and 
celebrated men. 

When and by whom was the mouth of the Hudson discovered 1 

When did the Dutch form an establishment there ? 

When and where was Fort Amsterdam built ? 

What was the village around it called ? 

When and where was Fort Orange built ? 

What was the country called ? 

What is said of these establishments 1 

When was a regular colony established by the Dutch ? 

Till what year did it remain in their hands ? 

By whom was New-Netherlands conquered ? 

To whom did the king of England grant the country, and what name was 

given to it/? 
What is said of the progress and extent of the settlements by the English 

previous to the revolution 1 
What of the settlements since ? By whom have they chiefly been made ? 
How does New- York now stand in point of wealth and population ? What 

is the area of the state 1 Number of inhabitants 1 
Principal rivers ? Lakes ? 
What is said of the surface of the state ? Of the soil ? What is said of the 

productions 1 Of iron ore ? liimestone and salt springs 1 Of mineral 

springs ? 
What is said of Erie and Champlain canals 1 How long is Erie canal ? 

Champlain ? What other canals ? 
Give a description of the city of New- York 1 What is the population ? 
How far from New- York is Albany ? On what river? 
What is said of it ? How many inhabitants ? 

Which way and how far is Utica from Albany ? What is said of it ? 
What other flourishing towns 1 
Give an account of Long Island ? 
What and where its principal town ? 
What is said of schools, academies^ and colleges 1 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 85 

CHAPTER XXIIL 

JVeW'Jersey. 

The first settlements in New-Jersey appear to havd 
been made by the Dutch colonists established at the 
mouth of the Hudson. These settlements formed a part 
of the colony of New-Netherlands, and with the rest of 
that country were conquered in 1664 by the English. 
It was granted to the Duke of Vork, who conveyed it 
to Lord Berkley and Sir George Carteret. It now first 
received the name of New-Jersey and began to be set- 
tled by the English. It passed through the hands of 
various proprietors, and in 1676 was divided into East 
Jersey and West Jersey. But in 1702, the two parts 
were united and erected into a distinct province, under 
the crown of England. It continued however, till 1738, 
to have the same governor with New- York. 

The area of New-Jersey is about eight thousand square 
miles ; it is divided into fourteen counties and one hun- 
dred and sixteen townships, and has a populataion of 
nearly three hundred thousand. 

The Delaware River forms the whole of its western,, 
and the Hudson part of its eastern boundary. The 
northern part of the state is a fine hilly country ; the 
southern half is low, level, and sandy ; much of it is un- 
fruitful, producing only shrub oaks and yellow pine. 
The northern part has a large proportion of good soil, 
excellent for grazing, and well adapted to the cultiva- 
tion of wheat and other grains. Great numbers of 
cattle are raised in the mquntainous parts for the mar- 
kets of New-York and PhllEtdelphia, Owing, in a great 



86 VIEW OF THE IGNITED STATES. 

measurej to the difference of elevation, there is much 
diversity of climate in New-Jersey. The southern coun- 
ties have a climate resembling that of eastern Virginia. 
The seasons in the northern counties resemble those of 
New-Hampshire and Vermont. These counties abound 
in iron ore, which is extensively manufactured. 

The largest town is Newark on the River Passaic 
nine miles from New- York. It is a pleasant and hand- 
some town, having extensive manufactures and a popu- 
lation of more than seven thousand. New-Brunswick 
on the Raritan has considerable commerce. 

Trenton, on the Delaware, at the head of tide water, 
thirty miles northeast of Philadelphia, is the seat of 
government. It is a pleasant town with a population of 
four thousand inhabitants. 

New-Jersey is largely engaged in commerce, manu- 
factures, and the fisheries. The^^Morris Canal, which is 
now in progress, is to extend from the River Delaware 
across the state to the harbour of New- York. 

At Princeton is the College of New-Jersey, one of the 
most respectable institutions in the United States. At 
the same place is a flourishing Theological Seminary. 
At New-Brunswick is Rutgers College. 

Who appear to have made the first settlements in New-Jersey ? Of what 
colony did these settlements form a part ? 

When did they fall into the hands of the English ? 

What disposition was afterwards made of the territory of Ne w- Jersey ? 
When did it become a colony under the king of England ? 

What is the area of the state ? How many counties 1 Townships ? Inhabi- 
tants? 

Between what rivers is New-Jersey ? 

What is said of the face of the country ? Of the soil ? Productions ? Of 
the climate? 

What ore is found in the mountainous parts ? 

What is said of Newark, Brunswick and Trenton ? 

What lines of business are largely followed ? 

What canal in the state ? What institutions of learning ? 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 87 

CHAPTER XXIV. 

Pennsylvania. 

Several scattering settlements along the banks of the 
Delaware, within the present limits of Pennsylvania, had 
been made at various times by parties of English, Dutch, 
and Swedes ; but the first permanent colony was estab- 
lished as late as 1682 by the celebrated William Penn. 
He belonged to the religious denomination called Friends 
or Quakers, and was the son of an English Admiral, who 
had rendered very important services to the king of 
England. It was on account of these services that 
Penn received from the king a grant of the Territory of 
Pennsylvania. In 1682 he arrived in the country with 
a colony of Friends, laid the foundation of Philadelphia, 
and published a frame of government for the province. 
Penn managed affairs with great prudence and ability. 
By justice and kindness he conciliated the Indians, and 
he invited settlers from all parts, by allowing universal 
freedom of religious opinion. Pennsylvania had a very 
rapid growth ; the government of the colony remained 
in the hands of the Penn family till the revolution. 

The area of Pennsylvania is forty-seven thousand 
square miles. It is divided into fifty-one counties, and 
has a population of over one million three hundred 
thousand. 

The principal rivers are the Delaware forming the 
eastern boundary, the Susquehanna and its branches, and 
the Allegany and Monongahela, which unite and form the 
Ohio. 



88 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES* 

As regards surface and population, Pennsylvania may- 
be divided into three portions. East Pennsylvania, includ- 
ing about eight thousand square miles, is a fine hilly coun- 
try. No part of the United States is more beautiful, 
better cultivated, or more populous. Middle Pennsylva- 
nia, embracing rather more than half the state, is moun- 
tainous and thinly inhabited. West Pennsylvania is a 
fine country, diversified with hills and vallies ; its popula- 
tion is not yet great, but is rapidly increasing. Through- 
out the state there is a large proportion of good soil. 
The mountainous ridges are barren, but some of the most 
fertile land is found in the vallies between them. The 
greater part of the population is spread over the eastern 
western and southern borders, while the central and 
northern parts are as yet comparatively wild. 

The soil and climate of Pennsylvania are extremely 
favourable to wheat, grass, the apple and other fruits. 
In the central parts are extensive and valuable forests. 
The eastern ridges of the mountains abound with beauti- 
ful marble, as well as with immense beds of anthracite 
coal.^ Bitumenous coal is equally abundant in the western 
parts of the state ; here also are numerous and valuable 
salt springs, from which great quantities of salt are man- 
ufactured. Iron ore of excellent quality is found through- 
out the whole state. 

Philadelphia, built on an isthmus, between the Dela- 
ware and Schuylkill rivers, about six miles above their 
junction, is the metropolis of Pennsylvania, and the sec- 
ond city in size in the United States. By the course of 
the Delaware River and Bay it is more than an hundred 

* Anthracite coal kindles with difficulty and burns without smoke, 
bitumenous coal contains sulphur ; it kindles with ease and burns with 
much smoke and flame. 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 



89 



miles from the sea ; the navigation of the bay is rather 
difficult, but this does not prevent Philadelphia from car- 
rying on a very extensive commerce. It is the third 
commercial city in the union. Philadelphia is laid out 
with great regularity, the streets crossing each other at 
right angles. They are wide, neat, and well paved. The 
houses are built mostly of brick, vWihout much ornament, 
but presenting an appearance of convenience, comfort, 




View of Philadelphia. 

and opulence. Several of the publick buildings are 
very elegant. Philadelphia surpasses every other city 
in America in the variety, extent, and excellence of its 
manufactures. Its population is about one hundred and 
fifty thousand. 

Harrisburg, on the Susquehanna, one hundred miles 
west of Philadelphia, is the seat of government. This 
is a flourishing town of about three thousand five hundred 
inhabitants. 
8 



90 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

Pittsburg, built at the junction of the Allegany and 
Monongahela, is the capital of West Pennsylvania, and 
the second town in the state. The country around it 
abounds in coal and iron ore. It has an extensive trade 
down the Ohio and across the mountains, but is chiefly 
celebrated for its iron manufactures. The town is black 
with the smoke of the furnaces. Pittsburg has grown 
up rapidly; its population is about fifteen thousand. 

Lancaster, sixty-two miles west of Philadelphia, situa- 
ted in a pleasant and well cultivated country, is a place 
of much wealth and business. 

The other principal towns are Reading, Easton, York, 
and Carlisle. 

The publick works of Pennsylvania are very extensive. 
The Schuylkill Canal opens a communication between 
Philadelphia and the extensive coal mines at the sources 
of the River Schuylkill, a distance of one hundred and 
ten miles. The Union Canal, seventy-six miles long, 
unites the Schuylkill with the Susquehanna. The Le- 
high River, from Easton to the Lehigh coal mines, has 
been made navigable, at a great expense, by means of 
dams and locks ; and a canal down the Delaware, from 
Easton to Bristol, a distance of fifty miles, is now in 
progress. 

Education has hitherto been much neglected in this 
state, but it is beginning to attract attention. At Phila- 
delphia is the most celebrated medical school in the 
United States. The colleges are Dickinson's College 
at Carlisle, Washington College at Washington, Jeffer- 
son's College at Cannonsburg, Allegany College at 
Meadville, and Mount Airy College at Germantown. 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 91 

When and by whom was the first permanent settlement made in Pennsyl- 
vania 1 To what religious denomination did he belong 1 What is said of 
his character 1 Of his conduct toward the Indians '.' Of the growth of 
the colony ? 

Till what period did the government of the colony remain m the Penn 
family. . . . 

How large is the surface of Pennsylvania ? Into how many counties is it 
divided ? 

What is the number of people 1 ' 

What are the principal rivers ? 

As regards surface and population, how may the state be divided ? What 
is said of each portion ? 

In what parts of the state are most of the people ? 

What is said of the climate and soil? Of marble, coal, salt springs, and 
iron ore ? 

What is said of Philadelphia 1 How far is it from the sea ? How is the 
city laid out, and what is its general appearance ? What is said of its 
public buildings, and its manufactures 1 What is its population ? 

What is said of Harrisburg ? 

Where is Pittsburg and for what celebrated 1 

What is said of Lancaster ? 

What other principal towns ? 

What is said of the publick works t 

How long is Schuylkill Canal? Union Canal? What other canal in 
progress ? 

What is said of education ? Of the medical school at Philadelphia ? 

What colleges in the state ? 



CHAPTER XXV. 

Delaivare, 

The first settlement in Delaware was made by people 
from Sweden and Finland in Europe. They established 
a colony on the south shore of Delaware Bay as early as 
1627. But the country was claimed by the Dutch as a 
part of their colony of New-Netherlands, and in 1655 
they captured the Swedish settlements and dispersed 
the colonists. In 1664 the New-Netherlands, as has 
been already stated, were conquered by the English, 
and granted to the Duke of York. In 1692, the Duke 
of York sold the territory which now makes the State of 
Delaware, to William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania. 
Till this time it had remained almost entirely unpeopled ; 



92 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

but now it began to be settled by English emigrants. 
Delaware remained united with Pennsylvania till 1703, 
when it was separated and made a colony by itself. It 
Continued under the government of the Penn family till 
the revolution. 

After Rhode-Island, Delaware is the smallest of the 
states. Its area is two thousand one hundred square 
miles ; it is divided into three counties and has eighty 
thousand inhabitants. The northern part of the state is 
hilly, the southern part is a low plain. The soil is good 
in some places, but generally thin, and in many places 
ms^rshy. The products are chiefly grain and grass. 

Dover is the seat of government, but Wilmington is 
the largest town ; here are a population of about five thou- 
sand, and considerable trade and manufactures. On the 
Brandywine, in the vicinity, is the finest collection of 
flour mills in the United States. 

Newcastle, fifteen miles below Wilmington, has some 
trade. At Lewiston near the entrance of the bay are 
extensive salt works, where salt is manufactured from 
sea water. 

The Delaware and Chesapeake Canal, thirteen miles 
in length, and uniting the River Delaware to Chesapeake 
Bay, crosses the northern part of the state. 

When and by whom was the first settlement made in Delaware ? Wha 

afterwards t©ok possession of the colony ; and dispersed the people ? 

When did this take place 1 
\Vhen was this country conquered by the English and granted to the 

Duke of York^ the king's brother 1 
When and to whom did the Duke of York sell the territory of Delaware ? 

By whom was it now settled 1 
How long did the government remain in the Penn family ? 
What is said of the size of this state ? Of the face of the country^ soil, and 

productions ? 
What is said of Dover ? Wilmington ? 
What remarkable on the Brandywine ? 
What is said of Newcastle ? Lewiston 1 Of the Delaware and Chesapeake 

Canal ? 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 93 

CHAPTER XXVI. 

South Carolina. 

South Carolina became a province by itself in 1729 5 
its previous history has already been noticed in the chap- 
ter on North Carolina. 

South Carolina has an area of about thirty thousand 
square miles, it is divided into thirty counties, and its 
population is about five hundred and fifty thousand, more 
than half of whom are slaves. It is watered by the 
Pedee, Santee, Edisto, Savannah, and other rivers, and 
like the other southern states, it may be divided, as 
respects its surface and population, into three divisions — 
the plain, the hilly, and the mountainous. In this state 
the divisions are nearly equal in extent. The plain 
country, though not generally fertile, except on the banks 
of rivers, is most populous. 

In the low country the slaves are more than twice as 
numerous as the whites ; in the hilly country the whites 
and blacks are about equal in number ; among the moun- 
tains, the whites are twice as numerous as the slaves. 

The crops cultivated in this state are rice, cotton, and 
grain. Rice is confined to the sea shore ; cotton is the 
principal crop. The southern counties admit the culti- 
vation of the sugar cane, the fig, and the orange. The 
exports of South Carolina exceed in value those of any 
other southern Atlantic state. 

The largest city of South Carolina, and indeed of all 

the southern Atlantic states is Charleston. It is built 

on a peninsula between Ashley and Cooper Rivers, 

which unite just below the city and form a convenient 

8^ 



94 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

and spacious harbour. Though not capable of admitting 
the largest vessels, it is the best harbour on the Atlantic 
coast south of the Chesapeake. The city is regularly 
laid out in parallel streets, which are intersected by 
others nearly at right angles. The houses have piazzas 
and many of them are elegant. It is the favourite resort 
of the rich planters and affords much agreeable society- 
It is reckoned one of the gaiest towns in the United 
States. It has an extensive trade : its population is 
about twenty-six thousand. A canal, twenty-two miles 
long, connects the Santee with Cooper River, and 
through this river with the harbour ol Charleston. 

Columbia, near the centre of the state, on a branch of 
the Santee, is the seat of government. It it a flourishing 
town, regularly laid out, and handsomely built. 

The other towns are small ; the largest are George- 
town near the mouth of the Santee, Camden on one of 
its branches, and Beaufort in the southeast corner of the 
State. 

South Carolina appropriates an annual fund to the 
support of schools and has afforded liberal assistance to 
the South Carolina College at Columbia, which is a well 
endowed and flourishing institution. There is a college 
at Charleston. 

South Carolina has furnished many men distinguished 
for talents and worth, and for their influence in publick life. 

When did South Carolina become a separate province ? 

What is the area of South Carolina ? Into how many counties is it divided T 

What is the population, and what proportion are slaves ? 

By what rivers is South Carolina watered ? 

How may it be divided as respects surface and population ? Which division 

is the most populous ? 
What proportion of slaves in the low country ? What in the hiUy ? What 

in the mountainous ? 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 95 

What are the crops cultivated in South Carolina 7 Which is the most im- 
portant? 

What is said of exports ? 

What is said of Charleston ? Of its situation, harbour, and commerce. 

What is the seat of government, and where situated 1 What other consid- 
erable tow^ns ? 

What is said concerning schools and Colleges ? 



CHAPTER XXVII. 

Georgia. 

Georgia was the last colony planted by the English 
in what are now the United States. It was granted in 
1732 to Gen. Oglethorpe and others ; the next year 
Savannah was settled by a colony from England. The 
objects proposed in the settlement of Georgia, were, to 
protect the British dominions from the encroachments of 
the Spaniards of Florida and the French of Louisiana, to 
open an asylum for the poor of Great Britain, and to 
attempt the conversion and civilization of the Indians. 
In this last design little progress was made ; on the con- 
trary, the colony was much harassed and its growth for 
a long time hindered, by frequent Indian wars. Within 
the last thirty or forty years, however, the progress of 
Georgia in wealth and population has been very rapid. 

The area of Georgia is sixty-one thousand square 
miles. It is divided into seventyrfour counties, and has 
a population of five hundred thousand, over two hundred 
thousand of whom are slaves. 

It is watered by the Savannah, 0-ge-chee, Alatama- 
ha,* Flint River, and Cha-ta-hoo-chee and their branches. 
The Alatamaha is much the largest. 

As regards both soil and climate, Georgia is more di- 
versified than any other of the states. The southeastern 

* Al-ta-ma-haw. 



96 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

part rises by a very slow ascent from the Atlantick, be- 
ginning with a series of low islands. This is followed by 
a sandy tract of a little greater elevation, reaching to the 
falls of the rivers ; then succeeds a hilly and at length a 
mountainous country, which is more extensive, fertile, and 
healthy, than either of the other divisions. 

The soil of Georgia, as already said, is very various, 
but a large proportion of it is extremely productive. 
The islands of the coast are famous for producing a val- 
uable kind of cotton, called sea-island cotton. The rivers 
and creeks are every where bordered with swamps or 
marshes, which for fifteen or twenty miles from the 
coast, are wholly or partially overflowed at every tide. 
These constitute the rice plantations. The middle di- 
vision is very barren, producing little besides pitch pines. 
Among the mountains at the north, the apple, wheat, and 
other grains are cultivated ; and along the sea shore and 
for some distance inland, the sweet orange and sugar 
cane flourish well. The chief products of the state are 
cotton, rice, tobacco, and sugar. 

Savannah, on the Savannah River, seventeen miles 
from its mouth, is the largest town. It has an extensive 
commerce and a population of eight thousand. 

Augusta, on the same river, three hundred and forty 
miles by water from Savannah and one hundred and 
twenty-three by land, is a flourishing town. Great quan- 
tities of cotton, tobacco, and other produce are collected 
here and conveyed down the river to Savannah. The 
population is four thousand. 

The seat of government is Milledgeville, on the Oconee 
about three hundred miles by the river from the sea. It 
is near the centre of the state, on the borders of the plain 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 97 

and hill country, and has a handsome state-house. 
Among the other principal towns are Darien and St. 
Mary's, which are seaports, in the southeast corner of 
the state. 

The Creek Indians Inhabit the west part of the state ; 
the northwestern part is possessed by the Cherokees. 

Only a small provision is made in this state for publick 
schools. Education is much neglected. There is a 
College called Franklin College at Athens, in the north- 
ern part of the state. 

When and to whom was Georgia granted ? 

When and where was the first settlement ? 

What objects were proposed in the settlement of Georgia T 

What hindered the growth of the colony ? 

What is said of the growth of the state within thirty or forty years ? 

How large is Georgia ? How many counties ? How many inhabitants T 
How many of them are slaves ? 

By what rivers is Georgia watered ? 

What is said of its soil and climate ? 

What is the principal product of the islands ? 

Where are the rice plantations situated ? 

What is said of the middle division of the state ? Of the mountainous 1 

What are the principal products of Georgia ? 

What is said of Savannah 1 What other important town on the Savannah 
River, and what is said of it ? 

What is the seat of goyernnient; and where i^ it situated 1 What other- 
towns ? 

What important tribes of Indians hold a part of Georgia^ and where are 
they situated ? 

What is said of education in Georgia ? 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 

Reflections and Remarks, 

Sketches of the origin, progress, geograpical features, 
and present condition of each of the thirteen original states, 
have now been given. By looking out the states, as laid 
down on the map, and in the order of their settlement, 
and by considering their primitive weakness as well as 



98 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

disconnected situation from each other, sonne idea may 
be formed of the perils and discouragements, which our 
fathers endured in laying the foundations of this great 
Republick. Casting our thoughts backward, and contem- 
plating the state of the country two hundred years ago, 
we see the whole territory of the thirteen states, one 
continued wilderness, without a single opening made by 
civilized men, except a few inconsiderable spots in Vir- 
ginia, New-York, and New-England. The whole num- 
ber of people in all these settlements put together, did 
not at that time exceed, it is probable, four or five thou- 
sand. These feeble and scattered settlements were sur- 
rounded by Indian tribes numerous and powerful, and 
many of them implacably hostile to the new comers. The 
colony of Virginia had already been scourged by desolat- 
ing wars with the Indians ; the Dutch people, then at 
Fort Amsterdam, were unfriendly to the English settlers, 
and di were apparently and imminently exposed to ex- 
termination from Indian hostility. 

But through the care of a superintending Providence, 
these feeble colonies were sustained and preserved. Other 
colonies were planted from time to time, by their own 
people, and by further emigrations from England and 
Europe, until the number amounted to thirteen. Georgia 
was commenced about a hundred and twenty years after 
V^irginia. Within this period the other colonies, formed 
at different times, had made different degrees of improve- 
ment in wealth and numbers. Whatever progress they 
had made, however, had been made in defiance of dan- 
ger and difficulty. Much blood and much treasure was 
expended, previous to the Revolution, in defence against 
the Indians, who in general became more hostile as the 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 99 

colonies advanced. This indeed was natural ; for as the 
colonies increased in number and magnitude, the Indians 
became more and more alarmed for their own situation. 
They became more and more convinced, that their coun- 
try was in danger of being wholly taken from them, and 
they themselves in danger of being driven off and des- 
troyed. Of course, they became more and more hostile 
and desperate, and by frequent wars hastened instead of 
retarding their own destruction. 

Indian hostilities were very much excited and encour- 
aged from time to time by the French people settled in 
Canada. The French nation was jealous and envious of 
the rising importance of the British colonies in America ; 
and made every possible exertion to retard their growth, 
and limit their territory. The great object of the French 
was to prevent British settlements from extending beyond 
the Allegany Mountains. They built a fort at the place 
now called Pittsburg in Pennsylvania, and their intention 
was to erect and maintain a line of forts, extending from 
their own settlements in Canada to those in Louisiana. 
By means of these forts and the aid of the Indians, they 
hoped to put an effectual stop to the progress of British 
or English settlements toward the west. By looking at 
the map it will be seen, that if the purpose of the French 
in this respect, had been carried into operation, the terri- 
tory of the United States would have been very incon- 
siderable, compared with its present extent. 

At the commencement of the revolutionary war the 
population of all the colonies was estimated at three mill- 
ions ; but this estimate was high. The number of white 
people, it is probable, did not exceed two millions and a 
half; and the colonies presented the aspect of a number 



100 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

of small openings scattered along the maritime border of 
a vast wilderness. 

Since the thirteen colonies declared themselves to be 
free and independent states, their growth in population 
and wealth has been amazingly rapid. Notwithstanding 
the large and flourishing new states they have formed, 
tlieir own population is nearly three times as great as i^ 
was at the close of the Revolution ; and their improve- 
ments in agriculture, commerce, and manufactures, have 
probably exceeded, by many degrees, the most sanguine 
expectations of those, who signed the declaration of 
independence. 



CHAPTER XXIX. 

Vermont. 

Vermont was the first state admitted into the Union 
after the declaration of independence by the United 
States. The first settlement of white men in this state 
was at Fort Dummer on Connecticut River, built by the 
people of Massachusetts, as a protection against the In- 
dians."^ This fort was built in 1724. Sometime after- 
ward the French sailed down lake Champlain and 
made several scattering settlements on its eastern shore. 
Vermont, however, remained in a great measure unset- 
tled till after the conquest of Canada by the British, in 
1760, when it began to be rapidly peopled by emigrants 
from New-England. These settlers obtained grants of 
the land from the Governor of New-Hampshire, and 
the country was called the New-Hampshire grants. 

* This fort was in the southeast corner of the state. 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 101 

New- York, however, claimed the territory, as being 
within her limits, and the question having been referred 
to the king of Great Britain, he decided in favour of 
New- York. The Governors of New- York then de- 
clared the grants of New-Hampshire to be void, and 
endeavoured to compel the settlers to purchase their 
lands anew. This the settlers refused to do, and the 
dispute growing by degrees warmer and warmer, in 
1777 they declared themselves independent of New- 
York, and formed a distinct government of their own. 
In the mean time the revolutionary war had begun. Ver- 
mont bore her full share in this war, though through the 
influence of New-York she was refused admittance into 
the confederacy, and was not even acknowledged as a 
separate state. But at last. New- York finding it impos- 
sible to maintain her claims, the dispute was settled, and 
the independence of Vermont acknowledged. In 1791 
she was admitted into the Union. 

The area of Vermont is nine thousand four hundred 
square miles ; it is divided into thirteen counties, which 
are subdivided into towns ; its population is about two 
hundred and seventy thousand. After the Connecticut, 
the principal rivers are the Missisque,^ La Moile, Un-ion 
River and Otter Creek, running westerly into lake 
Champlain. The Green Mountains extend through 
the state from north to south, and the land slopes down 
from these mountains, on one side to the Connecticut 
and on the other to the lake. The central parts are 
very high, and the surface of the state in general is 
hilly, though not rocky. A large proportion of the 
soil is fertile. Much of the land among the moun- 
tains is excellent for grazing. The productions are sim- 

* Mis-sisque. 



102 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

ilar to those of Massachusetts, except that Vermont is 
much more favourable to wheat. This state abounds 
with copperas and with iron ore. The Vermont iron 
is said to have some remarkably good qualities. There 
is a great abundance of marble and some lead. 

Vermont has no large towns. The seat of govern- 
ment is Montpelier, near the centre of the state. Bur- 
lington, on lake Champlain, and Middlebury, on Otter 
Creek, are flourishing towns, with extensive manufactures 
and considerable trade. The same may be said of 
Windsor and Brattleborough, on Connecticut River. 

The trade and general prosperity of Vermont has 
been greatly increased by the construction of the Cham- 
plain canal, which provides an outlet for the productions 
of all that part of the state, which borders on the lake. 

Education is much attended to ; publick schools are 
supported by law, and there are many academies and 
private schools. Middlebury College, at Middlebury, is 
respectable and flourishing ; at Burlington is an institution 
called the University of Vermont, including a respectable 
medical department. 

When and where was the first settlement in Vermont made by white 
men ? By whom was it made ? What early settlements on Lake Cham- 
plain ? 

What event opened Vermont to settlement by New-England people ? 

By whom was the land granted ? 

By what name was the country known ? 

What difficulties took place ? How and by whom were they decided ? 

What influenced the people of Vermont to declare themselves inde- 
pendent ? When did they do it ? 

What part did they take in the revolutionary war 1 

When was Vermont admitted into the Union ? 

How large is Vermont ? 

How many counties, and how are they subdivided ? 

How many inhabitants ? What principal rivers ? Mountains ? Character 
of the soil ? Productions ? 

What is said of towns 1 Where is the seat of government ? 

What other towns and for what distinguished ? 

What is said of education ? What Colleges in Vermont ? 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 103 

CHAPTER XXX. 

Kentucky. 

The country now included in the state of Kentucky 
was first explored in 1767 by John Finley of North- 
Carolina. It was afterward visited by the celebrated 
Daniel Boone, and the first settlement in Kentucky was 
begun under his guidance in 1773. For several years 




Col. Boone on the bank of the Great Osage Lake. 



the settlers were harrassed by bloody wars with the Indi- 
ans, who maintained their ground with obstinacy. Ken- 
tucky was claimed by Virginia as within the limits of her 
charter ; the land was granted, and the first settlements 
made under her authority. She gave her consent, how- 
ever, to a separation, whenever the inhabitants should 
desire it. This separation took place in 1790, and in 
1792 Kentucky was admitted into the Union, as an in- 
dependent state. 



104 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

The area of Kentucky is thirty-six thousand square 
miles. It is divided into eighty-two counties, and has a 
population of over six hundred thousand, of whom about 
one hundred and fifty thousand are slaves. 

After the Ohio and Missisippi, the principal rivers of 
the state are the Great Sandy River, Licking, Kentucky, 
and Green Rivers, all four of which run into the Ohio. 
The southern borders are watered by the Cumberland ; 
the Tennessee crosses the southeast corner. 

The southeastern part of the state is mountainous, the 
central and southwestern parts are comparatively level. 
The country along the Ohio is hilly. The soil is various, 
but the greater part of it is extremely fertile. Wheat, 
tobacco, and hemp are the chief productions. The 
northern parts of the state are the most populous and pro- 
ductive. Marble is abundant, iron ore is found, and 
there are numerous and valuable salt springs from which 
great quantities of salt are manufactured. The inhabi- 
tants, in many places, suffer inconvenience from the scar- 
city of water. 

The seat of government is Frankfort on the Kentucky 
River. Lexington, on the Elkhorn, is the largest town. 
It is handsomely built, chiefly of brick, and is one of the 
largest manufacturing towns in the Western States. The 
country around is level, fertile, and much admired for 
its beautiful scenery. The population is over seven 
thousand. The second town in the state is Louisville on 
the Ohio, which has an extensive commerce and nearly 
as many people as Lexington. The third town is Mays- 
ville on the Ohio ; it has a population of four thousand, 
and considerable trade and manufactures. There are 
various other flourishing villages, but none very large. 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 105 

The exports of Kentucky are chiefly carried by water to 
New-Orleans. 

Lands have been appropriated by the state for the 
support of schools ; but these appropriations have not 
always been judiciously managed. Transylvania Univer- 
sity, at Lexington, is the most extensive and flourishing 
institution of the kind in the Western States. It has a 
Law and a Medical School connected with it. Central 
College is at Danville, and St. Joseph's College at Bairds- 
town. 

When and by whom was the first settlement made in Kentucky ? 

By what state was the territory claimed ? When did it become a member 
of the Union? 

How large is the area of Kentucky ? Into how many counties is it divid- 
ed? 

What is the amount of population ? How many slaves ? 

What are the principal rivers ? 

What is said of the face of the country 7 Of the soil ? Of productions ? 
Of ore ? Salt springs, and climate ? 

What town is the seat of government, and where is it situated ? 

Which is the largest town and what is said of it, and of the country around 
it? 

What other considerable towns ? 

To what place are the exports of the state carried ? 

What is said in relation to schools and colleges ? 

What part of the state is most populous 1 



CHAPTER XXXL 

Tennessee. 

Tennessee was within the original limits of North 
Carolina, and was first settled by emigrants from that 
province. Fort Loudon was built in 1757, but the first 
permanent settlements were made in 1768 and 1769. 
These settlements were for a long time much harrassed 
by wars with the Indians. When the Indian wars ceased, 
9^ 



106 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

the country was distracted for several years by disputes 
among the settlers ; and several attempts were made by 
them to form an independent state by the name of Frank- 
land. But in 1790, North-Carolina ceded the whole 
country to the United States, and the same year it was 
erected into an organized territory. In 1796 it was 
made a state, and admitted into the Union. 

The area of Tennessee is forty-three thousand square 
miles. It is divided into sixty-two counties, and has a 
population of over five hundred thousand, of which one 
hundred thousand are slaves. Besides the Missisippij 
the principal rivers are the Cumberland and Tennessee ; 
the latter is not very much inferior to the Ohio, into 
which it runs. 

The state is divided by the Cumberland Mountains 
mto two divisions, East Tennessee and West Tennessee. 
West Tennessee is undulating, some of it, especially to- 
wards the Missisippi, level, and some of it hilly. East 
Tennessee is full of mountains ; many of them are lofty and 
form grand and striking scenery. The soil is various. In 
the western part of the state it is black, deep, and rich ; 
in the middle are great quantities of excellent land; in 
the eastern parts, the mountains are barren, but there are 
many fertile vallies. The great business of the state is 
agriculture ; the soil produces cotton and tobacco in great 
abundance, and these, together with flour and corn, are 
the staple commodities. Grain, grass, and fruit succeed 
well ; and in East Tennessee large herds of cattle are 
raised for the supply of the market on the Atlantick coast. 
Iron ore, gypsum,^ saltpetre, and beautiful marbles are 
abundant. Lead mines and salt springs are likewise 
found. 

* Gypsum is the same with Plaister of Paris. 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 107 

A considerable tract in the southeastern part of the 
state is held and occupied by the Cherokee Indians. 

Nashville, on the Cumberland, in the midst of a fertile 
and populous country, is the capital of the state. It has 
an extensive trade, and a population of more than eight 
thousand. 

Knoxville, in East Tennessee, is the next town in point 
of population and trade. It has three thousand inhabi- 
tants. The other towns are small. 

There are colleges at Nashville, Knoxville, and Marys- 
ville. 

To what state or province did Tennessee originally belong ? 

When was Fort Loudon built ? When the first permanent settlements 

made ? By what were they hindered ? 
When was Tennessee ceded to the United States ? 
When was it admitted into the Union as an independent state ? 
How large is Tennessee ? How many counties ? How many people ? 

How many slaves ? 
What are the principal rivers ? What mountains ? 
What is said of the face of the country ? Of soil and productions ? Of 

cattle, oreS; and minerals ? Of principal towns and colleges 1 



CHAPTER XXXII. 

Ohio, 

The first permanent settlement within the present 
boundaries of Ohio was made at Marietta, in the year 
1788, by General Putnam and a company from Massa- 
chusetts. The increase of the settlements was for some- 
time prevented by wars with the Indians ; but within the 
last thirty years, Ohio has increased in population and 
wealth with unexampled rapidity. A large number of its 
first inhabitants were emigrants from New-England. Till 
1802, Ohio formed a part of the Northwestern Territory ; 



108 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

in that year it was erected into a state and admitted into 
the Union. 

The area of Ohio is forty thousand square miles ; it is 
divided into seventy-three counties, and has a population 
of nearly a million. The lands are laid out in farms, 
very much like those of the New-England States. The 
principal rivers are the Ohio, which forms the southern 
boundary, the Muskingum, Scioto, and two Miamies, 
running southerly through the state into the Ohio, and 
the Maumee running into Lake Erie. This lake forms 
more than half the northern boundary. 

The central and northern parts of Ohio are generally 
level and in some places marshy. The eastern and 
southeastern parts are hilly. In this state extensive prai- 
ries are to be found. The soil is extremely fertile, espe- 
cially that of the country on the Miami and Scioto. Wheat 
is the staple production, but other sorts of grain, various 
kinds of fruit, grass, hemp, and flax are extensively cul- 
tivated. 

Iron ore is found in great quantities, coal, especially in 
the eastern part, is abundant, and salt springs are numerous. 

The largest town in the state is Cincinnati, situated on 
the Ohio, and built partly on the river bottom and partly 
on the high bank. The streets cross each other at right 
angles; some of them are quite handsome. There are 
several fine publick buildings and a number of splendid 
dwelling houses. Cincinnati is rising rapidly to be a great 
city. In 1810 its population was little more than two 
thousand ; it is now about twenty thousand. It has exten- 
sive manufactures and a very extensive trade ; and in 
point of wealth, refinement, and social enjoyments, is the 
metropolis of the Western States. 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 109 

Miami Canal extends from Drayton to Cincinnati, a 
distance of sixty-seven miles. 

Columbus on the Scioto, not far from the centre of the 
state, is the seat of government. It has a population of 
three thousand people, and extensive manufactures. 

The other principal towns are Chilicothe, on the Scio- 
to, Zainsville, on the Muskingum, Marietta, and Steuben- 
ville, on the Ohio. There is a great number of beautiful 
and flourishing villages scattered over the state, and new 
ones are springing up every year. 

The Ohio Canal, now in progress, is to extend across 
the state from Portsmouth, on the Ohio, to Cleveland, on 
Lake Erie, a distance of three hundred and twenty miles. 
This is a great work, and very creditable to the enterprise 
of Ohio. 

Common schools are established in a greater or less 
degree of perfection in every township of any conse- 
quence in the state. Several colleges have been incor- 
porated ; the most flourishing are the Ohio University at 
Athens, and Kenyon College near Mount Vernon. 

When was the first settlement made in Ohio, and by whom ? 

What is said of the progress of settlement ? 

From what part of the United states did many of the first settlers go ? 

Of what was Ohio a part previous to its being formed into a state ? When 

was it admitted into the Union ? How large is it ? How many counties ? 

How many people ? 
How are the lands laid out ? 
What is said of rivers ? of Lake Erie ? of the face of the country, soil, 

productions, ore, and minerals ? 
Which is the largest town, and what is said of it 1 What other towns and 

villages ? 
What is said of canals, of common schools, and of colleges ? 



110 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

CHAPTER XXXIIL 

Louisiana, 

Louisiana, including all the extensive territory Vest 
of the Missisippi now belonging to the United States, was 
originally discovered and claimed by the French. The 
country was first explored by La Sable about 1680; he 
named it Louisiana in honour of Louis XIV, then king 
of France. The French, under Ibberville, began a 
settlement near the present site of New-Orleans in 1699. 
In 1762, the whole country was ceded to Spain; in 
1801 it was ceded back again to France, and in 1803 
sold by France to the United States. 

In 1804 that part of it which now constitutes the state 
of Louisiana, was erected into a territory; in 1812 it 
was made a state and admitted into the Union. 

The area of Louisiana is forty-eight thousand square 
miles ; its population is over two hundred and fifty thou- 
sand. The blacks and whites are about equal in number. 

The state is watered by the Missisippi, Red River, 
Pearl River, the Wash-i-ta, and the Sabine. 

The entire front of Louisiana towards the Gulf of 
Mexico, is a continued marsh, in most places destitute of 
timber, traversed by innumerable water courses, and 
rising very gradually from the water's edge. To the 
northwest of this tract of marsh, and with an elevation 
only moderately greater, immense prairies extend, mark- 
ed in the neighbourhood of streams, with lines of trees. 
Still farther inland are thick forests inundated every year 
by the overflowing of the Missisippi, except a narrow 
tract on the borders of the streams. The country, how- 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. Ill 

ever, gradually rises to a height that protects it from 
inundation, till at length the surface becomes broken, 
hills succeed, and, except near the water courses, the 
country is covered with immense pine forests. The 
Missisippi and all the smaller streams are bordered by a 
narrow strip, which is rarely inundated, and is extremely 
fertile. There is a great variety of soil in this state. 
There are large tracts that never can be cultivated, and 
the existing settlements, except in the parishes east of the 
Missisippi, extend in lines along the streams, or around 
the margins of the prairies. 

The crops cultivated are sugar and rice in the south- 
ern parishes, and cotton throughout the state. Fruits are 
abundant. Apples may be cultivated in the northern 
parts, peaches, figs, and pomegranates, throughout the 
state, and the orange and lemon in the southern part. 

The capital of Louisiana, and the largest city of the 
southern states, is New-Orleans. This city is situated 
on the east bank of the Missisippi, about one hundred 
miles from its mouth. It is regularly laid out ; the streets 
are wide and cross each other at right angles. Most of 
the houses in the suburbs have beautiful gardens orna- 
mented with orange groves. The country here is lower 
than the surface of the river, which is confined within 
its channel by an artificial embankment called the Levee, 
raised at great expense, and extending above a hundred 
miles. It is directly in front of the town and afibrds a 
fine walk. New-Orleans is very advantageously situated 
for trade. Immense quantities of produce from the 
western states are brought down the Missisippi, and de- 
posited here for exportation. The increase of the city 
has been rapid and steady. The population now exceeds 



112 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

sixty thousand. It is made up of a medley of people 
from almost all countries. Formerly the French language 
was generally spoken, but now the English prevails. 
New-Orleans often suffers severely from the yellow fever. 

The other principal towns are Nachitoches,* on Red 
River, and Baton Rouge and St. Francisville, on the 
Missisippi. 

There is a Catholic College at New-Orleans, and 
academies have been established in various places ; but 
education thus far has been very much neglected. 

Who discovered and claimed the territory west of the Missisippi ? When 
was it explored ? 

When was the first settlment made ? 

In what year was the whole country ceded to Spain ? When ceded back 
again ? When purchased by the United States ? 

When was the state of Louisiana admitted into the Union ? 

What is the area of the state ? The number of people ? The relative pro- 
portions of whites and blacks ? 

What is said of rivers ? Of that part of the state bordering on the Gulf of 
Mexico ? Of the country farther inland? 

What is said of the soil ? 

What crops are cultivated ? 

What important rivers in the state *? 

Where is New-Orleans, and what is said of its rise, trade, and increase ? 

What other considerable towns ? 

What is said of education ? 



CHAPTER XXXIV. 

Indiana. 

The French, who were the first explorers of the 
Missisippi and its branches, made a settlement within the 
present boundaries of Indiana, at Vincennes, on the Wa- 
bash, as long ago as about 1700. This settlement, how- 
ever, always remained of very little consequence.* Set- 
tlements by the people of the United St ates began to be 

* Nak-e-tosh. 

t The settlers emigrated from Canada. 



View of the united states. 113 

extensively formed after the peace with the Indians in 
1795. This region, including Illinois, was erected into a 
territory in 1801. Indiana was made a territory by itself 
in 1809, arid in 1816 was made a state and admitted 
into the Union. 

The area of Indiana is thirty-four thousand square 
miles, and it has over three hundred thousand inhabi- 
tants. The principal jrivers are the Ohio, forming tlie 
southern boundary of the state, and the Wabash with its 
branches, White River, and East Fork, 

Near the Ohio there is a range of hills ; but the gen- 
eral surface of Indiana is extremely level. There is 
considerable marshy land, and the prairies are more nu- 
merous and extensive than those of Ohio. A great 
proportion of the soil, like that of Ohio, is very fertile* 
Grain and live stock are principally raised. The north- 
ern part of the state is as yet entirely unsetded, though 
in the progres3 of population it will not long remain so. 

The towns of Indiana are all small, Vincennes, on 
the Wabash, Vevay and Madison, on the Ohio, and 
Corydon are the principal. Indianopolis, on White Riv- 
er, near the centre of the state, is the seat of government. 

There are lands reserved throughout the state for the 
support of schools. 

When and by whom was the first settlement made in Indiana ? 

What is said of this settlement ? When did settlements by people of 

the United States begin ? 
When did Indiana become a state and a member of the Union ? 
How large is Indiana ? How many inhabitants ? 
What are the principal rivers 1 

What is said of the face of the country ? Of the soil and productions ? 
Which are the principal towns ? Which is the seat of government ? 
What provision is made for schools ? 

10 



114 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

CHAPTER XXXV. 
Missisippi, 

The first settlement of white inhabitants within the 
present boundaries of Missisippi, was made by the French 
at Natchez, about 1716. In 1729 this colony was en- 
tirely cut off by the Indians ; and the Indians in their 
turn were cut off by the French, the following year. 
Some settlements were afterwards made, but the country 
remained in great part a wilderness, till the year 1763, 
when it came into the hands of the English. Several 
settlements were then begun along the river in the neigh- 
bourhood of Natchez. These settlements were inter- 
rupted by the revolutionary war, and after the peace, by 
disputes with the Spaniards about the boundaries. In 
1800, the country which now composes the states of 
Missisippi and Alabama was erected into a territory by 
the name of Missisippi Territory. After this the popula- 
tion rapidly increased, and in 1817 the western part of 
this territory was made a state and admitted to the Union. 

The area of Missisippi is about fifty thousand square 
miles, and has ^ population of one hundred and fifty 
tliousand inhabitants, half of whom are slaves. 

The principal rivers are the Missisippi, forming the 
western boundary, the Pascagoula, Pearl River, and 
Yazoo. 

The soil and surface of Missisippi are of three distinct 
kinds ; first the rich alluvial land on the banks of the 
streams ;^ secondly a border from ten to thirty miles wide 
of bluff or hilly land extremely fertile, running along the 

* The soil of alluvial land is soil which has been washed from hills and 
mountains, and settled on level places by the overflowing of streams. 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 115 

Missisippi through the state'; and thirdly, an inferior sort 
of soil much more extensive than either of the other 
kinds, and covered with pine forests. The most im- 
proved and most populous pai't of the state is|the south- 
west corner ; here the first settlements were made and 
here is the largest extent of good land. Settlements are 
now extending into the southeastern and central parts. 
Tlie northern portion of the state remains in the posses- 
sion of the Choctaw and Chickasaw Indians. Cotton 
is much cultivated in the state. 

The principal town is Natchez, built on several hills 
about half a mile from the eastern bank of the Missisippi, 
The population is not over three thousand, but the place 
is very important, and has an extensive trade, particularly 
in cotton. 

All the other towns are small, including Jackson, on 
Pearl River, the seat of government. 

Two colleges have been incorporated, but education 
is not in a flourishing state. 

When and by whom was the first settlement made in this state ? What 
became of this settlement ? What followed ? When did the country 
fall into the hands of the English ? 

Were any settlements made by them ? What interrupted their progress ? 

When was Missisippi made an independent state, and admitted into the 
Union ? What is the area of the state ? Population ? How many slaves 1 

What is said of the soil ? Who possess the northern part of the state ? 

What is the principal production 1 

Which is the principal town, and what is said of its situation and trade ? 

What is said of Colleges and education ? 



CHAPTER XXXVI. 

Illinois, 

The country now forming part of the state of Illinois, 
along the Illinois and Missisippi Rivers, was discovered 



116 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

by the French as early as 1673, and some small settle- 
ments were soon after formed at Kaskaskia and other 
places along the rivers. These colonies never arrived at 
any considerable magnitude or consequence. What is 
now the state of Illinois was claimed, like the rest of the 
country northwest of the Ohio, under the charter of V^ir- 
ginia. Virginia, however, ceded her claims to the United 
States. When the country northwest of the Ohio was 
erected into a territory in 1787, Illinois was included in 
it. In 1801 Illinois and Indiana were made a distinct 
territory; and in 1807 Illinois was made a territory by 
itself; in 1818 it was made an independent state and 
admitted into the Union. 

The area of Illinois is fifty-eight thousand square miles, 
and the population is about one hundred thousand. 

The principal rivers are the Missisippi, forming the 
western boundary, die Wabash, forming the eastern 
boundary, the Illinois, and Kaskaskia. The northeast 
corner of the state touches lake Michigan. 

The surface of Illinois resembles that of Indiana and 
Ohio ; hilly along the rivers and level further back, but 
with less of flat and marshy land than either of those 
states, and more rich plain than both -of them taken 
together. More than half the state consists of prairies. 
Illinois is supposed to have more fertile land than any 
other state in the Union. The productions are similar 
to those of Ohio. In the northwest corner of the state is 
a tract of country very rich in lead ore. Coal is also 
found, and there are numerous and valuable salt springs. 
The settlements are yet confined to the southern angle 
of the state ; all the northern and central parts are yet a 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES* ll7 

Wilderness, but settlements and population are rapidlj 
advancing. 

Kaskaskia is the largest town ; Vandalia is the seat of 
government. 

Land has been reserved throughout the state for the 
support of schools* 

When was the first settlement made in Illinois by white men 7 

Of what nation were they ? What is said of their settlements ? 

What state claimed the territory ? What was done with it in 1787 ? 

When was Illinois made a state, and a member of the Union 1 How large 
is the state 1 How many people ? 

What are the principal rivers ? What is said of the face of the country ? 
What part of the state is prairie ? What is said of the quantity of fertil* 
soil? Of productions ? Of ore? Coal, and salt springs I 

Which is the largest town, and which the seat of government ? 



CHAPTER XXXVII. 

Alahama, 

Alabama originally formed part of the Missisippi Ter- 
ritory. It was made a territory by itself in 1817, and in 
1820 was admitted into the Union as an independent 
state. The settlements in this state are very recent ; the 
greater part of them have been made within twenty years. 

The area of Alabama is about fifty thousand square 
miles ; it has a population of rising two hundred and fifty 
thousand, about a third of whom are slaves. 

The northern part of the state is watered by the Ten- 
nessee, the central and southern parts, by the Tombeck- 
bee, Alabama, and their branches. 

This state is naturally divided into three very distinct 

parts. The northern part is in some places mountainous, 

and in general broken and pleasantly diversified ; the 

middle part gradually assumes a more level surface, but 

10* 



118 VIEW OF TI^E UNITEDi STATES. 

the soil is very inferior to that of the northern part. The 
southern division is still less hilly than the middle, and is 
covered with forests of pine. There is a great diversity 
of climate. Fruits of various kinds flourish well ; but 
even the southern section does not admit the successful 
cultivation of the orange or sugar cane. Cotton is the 
great staple, though grain, and particularly Indian corn, is 
much cultivated. 

The principal town is Mobile, built on a beautiful and 
extensive plain near the head of Mobile Bay. It has a 
harbour tolerably convenient, though difficult of access, 
and an extensive trade. 

Tuscaloosa, on the Tombeckbee, and Huntsville, on the 
Tennessee, are flourishing towns. The seat of govern- 
ment is Cahawba, on the Alabama. 

To what did Alabama originally belong ? 

When was it made a territory by itself? When admitted into the Union 

as an independent state ? 
What is its area ? Population ? Number of slaves ? Principal rivers ? 
How is the state naturally divided in point of surface and soil ? 
What is said of the climate ? Of productions ? What is chiefly cultivated? 
Principal town? What other towns ? 



CHAPTER XXXVIII. 

Maine, 

One of the earliest attempts to colonize New-England, 
was made within the present limits of Maine. In 1607 
a small English colony v/as landed near the mouth of 
the Kennebec ; but the severity of the winter and the 
sufferings of the people compelled those who survived to 
return home the next year. About the time that Massa- 
chusetts was settled, establishments began to be formed 



VIEW OF THE TNITED STATES. 119 

along the coast of Maine. These establishments were 
declared by Massachusetts to be within her boundaries ; 
and they accordingly submitted to her jurisdiction. Maine, 
however, had been granted by the king of England to 
Sir Ferdinand Gorges, and Massachusetts was finally 
obliged to purchase in the claims of his heirs. Maine 
continued a part of Massachusetts till 1820, when it was 
formed into a separate state and admitted into the Union. 

The area of Maine is thirty-two thousand square miles ; 
it is divided into nine counties, and has a population of 
near four hundred thousand. This population is confined 
entirely to the southern half of the state. The settle- 
ments are slowly advancing into the interior, but all the 
northern part yet remains a forest. 

The principal rivers are the St. Croix, forming part of 
the eastern boundary of Maine and of the United States, 
the Penobscot, the Kennebec, the Androscoggin, and the 
Saco ; and in the northern part, the St. John's. 

Education is well attended to ; public school^ as in 
the other New-England Slates, are supported by law. 
Bowdoin College, at Brunswick, is a respectable and 
flourishing institution, and has an important medical 
school connected with it. 

The coast of Maine is studded with' islands and abounds 
in good harbours. The interior of the country is hilly, 
with ntimerous streams and lakes. The land near the 
coast is not very fertile ; but farther inland it is much 
better. There is, however, a great variety of soil. Many 
parts are excellent for grazing, and vast numbers of cat- 
tle are annually driven from them to market. Grain, 
grass, and flax are the principal crops. 



120 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

The capital of Maine is Portland, pleasantly situated 
on Casco Bay, having a fine harbour and extensive 
commerce. The population is near ten thousand. 




View of Portland. 

There are many other flourishing towns situated along 
the seacoast, or on the banks of the rivers. Such are 
Bath, Hallowell, and Augusta, on the Kennebec, Belfast, 
and Castine, on Penobscot Bay, Bangor, on Penobscot 
River, Machias and Eastpdrt. Augusta is fixed upon as 
the seat of government, and a state-house is in progress 
there. Maine enjoys great facilities for commerce, 
which are by no means neglected. The principal article 
of export is lumber. This state is also largely engaged 
in the fisheries ; it has more shipping than any other state, 
except Massachusetts and New-York. 

When was the first attempt made to form a settlement in Maine ? 

In what part of Maine was the colony landed ? What was the issue of 

this attempt ? About what time were other settlements made ? 
To whom was the territory of Maine granted ? 



View of the united states. 121 

How did Massachusetts get possession of it ? When was it separated 
from Massachusetts, and admitted as an independent state into the 
Union ? 

What is the area of Maine ? Number of counties ? Of people? What part 
of the state is most settled ? V/hat remains wild ? What are the princi- 
pal rivers ? What is said of the sea coast ? Of the interior ? Of the 
soil ? Of crops ? 

What is the capital of Maine, and what is said of it ? What other towns ? 
Where is the seat of government ? 

What is said of the commerce, fisheries, and navigation of Maine t 

What is tlie state of education 1 What is said of Bowdoin College ? 



CHAPTER XXXIX. 

JUissouri. 

Missouri formed originally part of Louisiana Territory* 
A settlement was made by the French at St. Louis in 
1764 5 but this, like the other French settlements on the 
Missisippi, never arrived at any considerable magnitude. 
In 1S03 the country came into the possession of the L^ni- 
ted States and began to be settled by our citizens. It 
remained under a territorial government till 1820, when 
it v/as erected into a state, and admitted into the Union. 

The area of Missouri is sixty-three thousand square 
miles ; it contains over one hundred thousand inhabitants, 
of whom about a sixth part are slaves. 

The rivers are the Missisippi, forming the eastern 
boundary of the state, the Missouri, and their branches. 

The population is confined almost entirely to the banks 
of the two great rivers. 

Except the rich river bottoms, the surface of Missouri 
is rolling or hilly, but no where mountainous. The south- 
east part is in some degree liable to annual inundations. 
The soil is various, but generally very fertile. The 
prairies, especially in the western part, are very extensive. 



122 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

The crops principally cultivated are wheat and Indian 
corn. Cotton is raised in the southeastern counties. 

This state has become noted for hs lead mines, which 
are among the richest and most extensive in the world. 
They yield annually many million pounds of lead. There 
are also vast beds of coal, which in a country so bare of 
wood must in time become very valuable. Iron ore is 
also found in great plenty. The Wgest town is St. Louis, 
on the JVlissisippi. This city is bulk on alluvial ground 
which rises gradually from the water. The main streets 
are nearly parallel to the river. The buildings extend 
from the water to the high bank of the river, beyond 
which the country is a level and open prairie. St Louis 
has an extensive trade, and increases fast in population, 
wealth, and importance. It has now about ten thousand 
inhabitants. 

The other towns are small. Jefferson, on the Mis- 
souri, is the seat of government. 

Land has been reserved, throughout the state, for the 
support of schools. 

When, where, and by whom; was the first settlement made within the 

limits of Missouri ? W^hat is said of it ? 
When did the United States get possession of the country ? 
When was Missouri admitted into the Union ? How large is Missouri ? 

How many people ? 
What is said of the soil, and productions ? What is said of rivers ? of lead 

mines ? of coal and iron ore ? 
Which is the principal town, and what is said of its situation, rise, trade, 

and increase 1 Which is the seat of government^ and where is it situated ? 



CHAPTER XL. 

The Territories, 

Florida was originally discovered and colonized by 
the Spaniards. They established ^ colony at St. Augug^ 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 123 

tine as early as 1665, but the settlement never advanced to 
much importance. Florida remained in possession of 
the Spaniards, till 1763, when it was ceded to the Brit^ 
ish. At the close of our revolutionary war, 1783, it pass- 
ed again into the possession of Spain, and was ceded by 
her to the United States in 1821. 

The area of Florida is fifty-four thousand square miles, 
and the population is about twenty thousand. Florida in 
respect of soil and climate may be considered as divided 
into two portions, the northern and southern. The whole 
country is low, but in the northern part, the surface is 
more broken, the land better timbered, and the soil su- 
perior to that of the southern portion, which is in a great 
part marshy, flat, and destitute of timber. In all Florida 
the proportion of good soil to bad is very small ; but the 
mildness of the climate will make some compensation 
for the barrenness of the country. In the southern part 
snow is unknown, and frost though occasional, is rare. 
The sugar cane may be cultivated successfully in all the 
maritime parts of Florida, where the soil will suit ; as 
may also the orange, lemon, and lime. Rice, indigo, 
tobacco, Indian corn, and a great variety of fruits, suc- 
ceed well. The coast abounds in live oak, a very hard 
and heavy timber, peculiarly valuable for building ships 
of war. 

Florida is as yet mostly uninhabited. Pensacola and 
St. Augustine are the largest towns. Tallahassee the 
seat of government. 

A part of the interior is occupied by the Seminole 
Indians. 

The principal rivers are the St. John's and the Appa-r 
lachicola. There is a great number of smaller streams. 



124 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

Arkansas with the rest of Louisiana, of which it once 
formed a part, was first explored by the French, and 
they planted colonies within its present limits as early as 
1685. The country of Louisiana having come into the 
possession of the United States, Arkansas was erected 
into a territory in 1819. 

The area of Arkansas is one hundred and twenty 
tliousand square miles ; the population is about twenty- 
five thousand. 

The principal rivers are the Missisippi forming the 
eastern boundary, the Red River forming the greater 
part of the southern boundary, and the Arkansas and 
White River within the territory. The setdements yet 
made are chiefly on the banks of the last two rivers. 

The eastern part of Arkansas is an unbroken plain 
covered with a thick forest ; then succeeds a very 
gradual ascent, partly forest and partly prairie, rising by 
degrees into hills. Next are the Ozark Mountains occu- 
pying the central part of the territory ; and beyond them 
wide and extensive prairies reaching to the western 
boundary. 

The seat of government is Little Rock on the Arkan- 
sas. 

The Peninsula of Michigan was first visited and ex- 
plored by the French, who founded Detroit about 1670; 
but it remained a mere trading port and passed in 176S 
with the rest of the French possessions in North- America, 
into the hands of the English. The territory of Michi- 
gan was formed in 1805. It includes an area of thirty- 
four thousand square miles with a population approaching 
twenty thousand. From the lakes, the surface of Mich- 
igan rises, with a very gradual ascent. The interior is 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 125 

a wide extended plain, in many places marshy, with 
numerous streams running from it toward the lakes. 
The soil is deep and strong, well adapted to grasses and 
grain. In tlie southern part the climate is mild ; farther 
north the winters are long and severe. 

Detroit which contains three thousand inhabitants, is 
the seat of government and the principal town. It has 
considerable trade and is gradually increasing. 

The territory of Huron is connected with Michigan. 
Congress, however, have agreed to make it a territory by 
itself; though its government is not yet organized. 

Huron is about one hundred and forty thousand square 
miles in extent ; its surface is generally flat, and in many 
places marshy. It is watered by numerous branches of 
the Missisippi. It is a fine region for hunters ; in the 
northern parts, the buffaloe, elk, bear, and deer are com- 
mon. The beaver, otter, and muskrat are taken for their 
furs. In many places are immense prairies, in others, 
extensive forests of pine and birch. All the rivers, and 
ponds, and marshes, abound in wild rice, which consti- 
tutes a considerable part of the food of the Indian inhab- 
itants. The northern part of Huron is extremely cold. 
The principal settlement of the whites is on Green 
Bay at the mouth of Fox River ; it contains over one 
thousand inhabitants. Prairie du chien is a village on 
the Missisippi famous for trade with the Indians. In tiie 
southwest part of Huron on Fever River are extensive 
and valuable lead mines. 

The territories of Missouri and Oregon, which equal 
in extent all the rest of the United States, are as yet 
unsetded by white men and little known. 
11 



126 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATUS. 

How early and by whom was the first settlement made in Florida T 
When was Florida ceded to Great Britain 1 When was it ceded back to 

Spain 1 When did it come into the possession of the United States ? 
What is the area, and population of Florida ? What is the character of the 

country, as to surface, soil, climate, and productions ? What important 

timber does it produce T 
Which are the principal towns ? Which the seat of government ? 
What are the principal rivers ? 
How early and by whom was the first settlement made in Arkansas t 

When was it erected in a territorial government 1 How large is it, and 

what the population ? 
What are the principal rivers ? What the general features of the country 7 
What is the seat of government ? 
To what river are the settlements confined ? 
When, where, and by whom was the first settlement of white people 

made in Michigan ? 
What is said of this settlement ? 
When was Michigan formed into a territory ? 
How large is it, and how many people does it contain ? 
W^hat is the general aspect of the country ? What is said of the soil, and 

climate ? 
Wliat is the seat of government ? How large is it, and what is said of its 

trade ? 
What is said of the extent, and surface of Huron ? Of its animals ? What 

valuable grain does it produce ? 
Where is the principal settlement of white people ? What other settle- 
ment ? What is said of lead mines, and where are they found ? What 

is said of the climate ? 
What notice is taken of the territories of Missouri and Oregon t 



CHAPTER XLI. 

District of Columbia. 

The District of Columbia, a tract or territory ten 
miles square, containing one hundred square miles, was 
ceded to the United States, in part by Virginia, and in 
part by Maryland. The cession was accepted by the 
United States in 1790; but Congress did not meet 
within the district till 1800. 

The general surface of the District is uneven, but not 
billy, with a thin, sandy soil. The Potomac crosses it 
from northwest to southeast. It is divided into two 
counties and contains a population of forty thousand in- 
habitants, who are collected in the three cities of George- 
town, Alexandria, and Waslnngton, 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES, 127 

Alexandria, on the south bank of the Potomac, in the 
southeast corner of the district, is a handsome town of 
eight thousand inhabitants. The streets intersect each 
other at right angles ; a great part of them are neatly 
paved^ kept clean, and well lighted* The city is favour- 
ably situated for commerce and carries on considerable 
trade, principally in flour and tobacco. 

Georgetown, farther up the river, at the head of the 
tide, is nearly of the same size with Alexandria. The 
situation is very pleasant, commanding a fine view of the 
city of Washington, from which it is separated by Rock 
Creek, and of the surrounding country. The houses 
are principally of brick and many of them are elegant. 
On tlie hills near the town are several fine country seats. 
Georgetown is a place of considerable trade ; and here 
also is a Catholic College, the principal literary institution 
of the District. 

Washington, the seat of the United States Government, 
is situated on a peninsula between the Potomac and a 
small tributary stream, called the East Branch. As the 
rivers approach each other, the East Branch spreads out 
into a wide bay and uniting with the main branch, forms a 
spacious harbour, with water deep enough for the largest 
vessels. This city was laid out on a very extensive plan, 
which has been thus far rigorously adhered to. At pres- 
ent it consists of three distinct settlements a mile or more 
asunder, which altogether contain near twenty thousand 
inhabitants. 

The principal public buildings of the city are the 
President's House, and the Capitol; and it is around 
these buildings that two of the settlements above men- 
tioned are clustered. 



128 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 



The President's House is a neat, chaste building of a 
light gray freestone, painted white. It stands on a 
public square ; has a garden about it, and is one hundred 
and seventy feet in length and eighty-five feet in breadth. 




Capitol at Washington. 

The Capitol is built of the same sort of stone, as 
the President's House, and painted in the same manner. 
It is placed on the brow of a considerable hill and com- 
mands a noble prospect. It is composed of a centre and 
two wings ; the centre being one hundred and fifty feet in 
length and of nearly the same breadth, and the wings each 
a hundred feet long and a hundred feet wide. There is a 
portico running round the whole building supported by a 
noble colonnade. The sessions of Congress are held in the 
Capitol. The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, intended to 
unite the waters of the Ohio with those of the Chesa- 
peake, leaves the Potomac at Washington. This canal 
is now in progress, and it is confidently expected, that 
when finished, it will contribute largely to increase the 
trade and general prosperity of the District of Columbia, 



^iEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 12D 

llow large is the District of Columbia ? 

By what states was it ceded to the United States ? When was it accepted / 

When was the first meeting of Congress within the district? 

What is said of the general surface of the district ? In what direction does 
the Potomac cross it ? 

Into how many counties is it divided ? How many cities ? How many 
people ? 

What is said of Alexandria 1 of Georgetown ? 

How is Washington situated ? How is the harbour formed, and what is 
said of it 1 How many inhabitants in Washington ? 

What are the principal publick buildings? Give a description of the 
President's house. Of the capitol. 

What is said of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal^ Emd of its expected in- 
fluence upon the prosperity of the district ? 



CHAPTER XLII. 

Curiosities.'^ 

It is proposed in this chapter to call the pupil's atten- 
tion to some of the striking natural curiosities, found in 
the country. These have been reserved as the subject 
of a separate chapter, in order to excite a livelier inter- 
est, as well as to assist the memory. 

In New-Hampshire the JVotch in the White Moun- 
tains, and what is called the Old Man of the Mountains, 
are remarkable curiosities. The JVotch in the White 
Mountains presents a grand and picturesque scenery. 
The mountain range appears to have been cloven down 
to its base, for the purpose of opening a passage merely 
wide enough for a road, and for the channel of the head 
stream of Saco River. The Old Man of the Mountains 
is situated on a high peak of bare rockj a side view of 
which presents a complete profile of the human face. 

In the state of Connecticut on the Housatorlic are the 
most considerable falls in New-England. They are 
formed by a ledge of limeston e crossing the river, about 

* See Worcester's Geography and Sketches. 
11- 



130 VIEW OF THS UNITED STATES. 

thirty-five rods in length and sixty feet in perpendicular 
height. The river rushes down this precipice with ex- 
quisite beauty and astonishing grandeur. At the bottom 
is a majestic mass of foam and spray, in which are form- 
ed beautiful rainbows. Seventy rods above this catar- 
act, another ledge twenty feet in height crosses the 
stream, and the river pours over it in a perpendicular 
sheet. Below this cataract the river descends with a 
hasty current about forty rods, and then has a third fall 
often feet. The whole descent, including the cataracts 
and rapids, is about one hundred and thirty feet, finely 
arranged and exhibiting a remarkable variety of beauty 
and grandeur. 

In New-York are many striking natural curiosities ; 
but the most remarkable are the falls on the river, which 
convey the waters of lake Erie into lake Ontario. These 
falls called Niagara Fails, have already been noticed in 
the chapter on lakes. They are considered the grandest 
object of the kind in the known world. Other cataracts 
have a greater perpendicular descent ; but none has been 
found, in which so great a mass of water falls from so 
great a height. The width of the river at the falls is 
three quarters of a mile, and the perpendicular descent - 
of the water on the Canada side is one hundred and fifty- 
one feet, and on the New-York side, one hundred and 
sixty-two feet. The cataract is divided into two parts 
by an island. The vapour which rises from the falls 
forms a cloud, that is sometimes seen at the distance of 
sixty miles. When the sun shines, the most brilliant 
rainbows appear in it. These falls are much visited by 
strangers, and cannot be viewed without emotions scarce- 
ly conceivable by any, but an actual beholder. Beside 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 131 

this astonishing cataract, there are several other remark- 
able falls on different rivers in the state of New- York. 

What is called the Ridge road is a great curiosity. It 
is eighty-seven miles long, extending from Rochester, on 
Gennessee River, to Lewistown, on Niagara River, and 
is used as a post road. Its general width is from four to 
eight rods, and its general elevation above the adjacent 
land, on each side, is about thirty feet. 

In the western part of New- York, about fifteen miles 
- from Buffalo and near the bank of a small stream, there 
issues from a ledge of slate rock, a current of air, which 
takes fire on the application of a torch. When set on 
fire, it continues to burn, till it is extinguished by the rising 
of the water of the rivulet. It has been known to burn 
for several weeks in succession. The flame is about 
six inches in length, and two and a half inches in diame- 
ter. In the same neighbourhood, there is another stream 
of air issuing from a slate rock, and having similar prop- 
erties. 

In the north part of the state, twelve or fifteen miles 
from Sacket's Harbour, there is an extraordinary cavern. 
It has been but partially explored, although it is said to 
have been traversed to the distance of more than one 
hundred rods. It is of great extent, comprising many 
spacious rooms, halls, and chambers. " The mouth of 
the cavern is a small hollow about five feet below the 
surrounding surface of the earth. You then descend 
sixteen and a half feet into a room about sixteen feet 
wide, twenty long, and eight high. In front of you is a 
large table rock twelve or fourteen feet square, two feet 
thick, and elevated about four feet from the bottom of the 
cavern. The roof over head is covered with stalactites, 



132 VIEW OF THll UNITED STATES* 

some of which reach to the rock.* On your left hand 
is an arched way of a hundred and fifty feet ; and on 
your right is another arched way, six feet broad at the 
bottom, and six high, leading into a large room. Passing 
by this arch about twenty feet, you arrive at another, 
which leads into a hall ten feet wide and one hundred 
long, from five to eight feet high, supported by pillars and 
arches, and the sides bordered with what appear like 
curtains, plaited in variegated forms as white as snow.f 
Through another arch you pass into a number of rooms 
curtained and having stalactites hanging from the roof. 
You then descend ten feet into a chamber about twenty 
feet square, curtained in like manner and hung over with 
stalactites. In one corner of this room is a mound, the 
top of which is hollow and full of water, from the drip- 
(fings of stalactites above, some of which reach near to 
the basin. The number and spaciousness of the rooms, 
curtained and plaited with large plaits, extending along 
the walls from two to three feet fron^ the roof, of die most 
perfect whiteness resembling the most beautiful tapestry ; 
the large drops of water, which are constantly suspended 
from the roofs ; the columns of spar resting on pedestals, 
which in some places, seem to be formed to support the 
arches ; the reflection of the lights, and the great extent 
and variety of the scenery of this wonderful cavern, form 
altogether one of the most pleasing and interesting scenes 
of the kind ever beheld by the eye of man." 

* Stalactites are produced by water dripping very slowly and for ages 
from the joofs and sides of caverns. The water, in its passage through the 
pores or cracks of limestone and marble, dissolves some particles. These 
particles unite and gradually form a solid and beautiful substance, in shape 
and appearance resembling an icicle. Some stalactites are nearly trans- 
parent. 

t These curtains are of the same substance as the stalactites 5 the sub* 
stance is also called spar. 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 135 

In Virginia the natural bridge over a small stream 
called Cedar Creek, is regarded as a great curiosity. 
The stream flows through a chasm two hundred and fifty 
feet deep, forty-five wide at the bottom and ninety at the 
top ; and across this chasm extends a huge rock sixty 
feet wide in the middle, forming a bridge over the stream. 
This bridge of course, is between five and six rods in 
length. On the top there is a coat of earth, which gives 
growth to large trees. The bridge is arching, and the 
thickness of earth and rock of which it is composed, \$ 
about forty feet at the highest part of the arch. To a 
person standing on the bridge a view of the chasm and 
stream below is painful and intolerable ; but to a person 
at the bottom of the chasm, a view of the bridge is de- 
lightful in an equal extreme. " So beautiful an arch, so 
elevated, so light and springing, as it were, up to heaven, 
the rapture of the spectator is indescribable." 

The passage of the Potomac through the Blue Ridge 
is said to present one of the most tremendous scenes in 
nature ; but the most remarkable cataract in Virginia isi 
the cascade of Falling Spring, so called. This stream 
falls over a rock two hundred feet high into the valley 
below. The sheet of water is twelve or fifteen feet wide 
above, but spreads as it descends. It is broken in breadth 
by the rock in two or three places, but not at all in height. 
Between the sheet and the rock at the bottom, one may 
pass through dry. 

In Virginia are several remarkable caves, of which the 
most extraordinary is Wier's Cave. It is about half a 
mile in length and contains several apartments, and like 
the cave already described, presents the most beautiful 
incrustations and stalactites, formed by the dropping of 



134 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

the water. One of the rooms in this cave, called Wash- 
ington Hall, is about two hundred and seventy feet in 
length, about thirty-five in width, and between thirty and 
forty feet high. A visitor speaks of it as the most ele- 
gant room he ever saw. The roofs and sides are very 
beautifully adorned by the tinsels, which nature has be- 
stowed in the greatest profusion, and which sparkle like 
the diamond, when viewed by the light of torches. Near 
the centre of this room is a white figure of limestone, 
very much in the shape of a man, which is called Wash-- 
ingtonh statue. In another room is a noble.pillar, called 
the Tower of BaheL It is about ninety feet in circum- 
ference, and thirty feet high. It is composed entirely of 
stalactites of lime, or, as some would judge from its ap- 
pearance, of icicles. 

In North Carolina is mount Ararat, or Pilot Mountain. 
This mountain rises to the height of several thousand feet 
in the form of a pyramid^ having at the top an area of 
about one acre. From this a stupendous rock shoots up 
like a steeple three hundred feet. It is seen at the dis- 
tance of sixty or seventy miles, and formerly served, it 
is said, for a beacon or pilot to the Indians. 

In Georgia the River Terrora descends three hundred 
feet in the space of a mile, and has one cataract of sixty 
feet nearly perpendicular. Toccoa Falls on a small stream 
form a beautiful cascade of one hundred and eighty-six 
feet. 

In the Cherokee country is a remarkable cave. As far 
as it has been explored, it forms a passage for a stream 
of cool and limpid water. This stream, where it leaves 
the cave, is sixty feet wide and six feet deep. Some 
years since a gentleman traced the course of it in a canoe 



Vi£W Ot THE UNITED STATES. 135 

for the distance of three miles into the cave. He then 
came to a fall of water, which prevented him from proceed- 
ing farther. He entered the cave in the morning, and 
returned in the evenings having spent twelve hours in his 
subterranean voyage. 

In the southwest part of Kentucky is a cave which has 
been explored to the distance of ten miles. It contains 
numerous avenues and apartments. The largest apart- 
ment yet discovered, or as it may be otherwise called, 
the chief area, contains more than eight acres, without a 
single pillar to support the arch, which is entire over the 
whole. Nothing can be more grand than this place, 
covered as it is with one solid arch at least one hundred 
feet high. The number of avenues leading from this 
area^ are five. They are from sixty to one hundred feet 
in width and forty in height. Pursuing one of these 
avenues about two miles from the chief area, you enter 
a second containing six or seven acres, and covered with 
an arch two hundred feet high. In a third area of about 
a hundred feet square, is a delightful stream of pure 
water, which issues from the side of a wall about thirty 
feet high. A fourth area contains at least six acres, and 
is ten miles from the mouth of the cave. Here are up- 
wards of twenty piles of earth on the one side and broken 
limestone heaped up on the other, evidently the work of 
human hands. A fifth area contains upwards of four 
acres of level ground strewed with limestone, and having 
fire !beds of uncommon size, surrounded with brands of 
cane. Columns of spar sixty or seventy feet high are 
I found in this cave, and also stalactities very rich and 
j brilliant. One of the avenues is called the haunted 
i^eimberj ivom the echo within 5 it is more than two 



136 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

miles in length, and its arch is very beautifully encrusted 
with limestone spar. In many places the columns of spar 
extend from the ceiling to the floor. Near the centre 
of this arch is a dome, apparently fifty feet high, hung 
with rich drapery, festooned in the most fanciful manner, 
for six or eight feet from the hangings, and of colours 
the most rich and brilliant. This drapery, it will be 
understood, is all solid rock, and formed in the same 
manner as the spar or stalactites, by the dropping of the 
water from the ceiling and sides of the cave. The earth 
found in this cave, as well as in others in the state of 
Kentucky, contains large quantities of saltpetre. 

In the state of Indiana is a very remarkable cave. 
It has been explored to to the distance of about two 
miles, and besides other curious objects and substances, 
found in caves, it is remarkable for containing vast 
quantities of the substance, commonly called Epsom 
Salts. There are many caves in Indiana. 

Throughout the western country, extending from the 
Alleghany to the Rocky Mountains, and from the great 
lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, are found numerous monu- 
ments of the ancient inhabitants. They consist of 
mounds, chiefly of earth, sometimes of stone, of embank- 
ments or walls, of ditches and excavations, and are 
supposed to be remains of forts, burying places, temples, 
altars, camps, towns, he. Similar mounds are found in 
various other parts of the globe. 

These monuments indicate great labour, and were 
evidently the work of a people far more civilized than 
the Indians, but far less so than the people of the United 
States. They contain no hewn stone, nor are there 
any ruins among them, which prove the existence in 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 137 

former ages of buildings constructed of imperishable 
materials. They are found in the valleys of large 
streams, on elevated plains, sometimes on hills, and 
chiefly in fertile districts. The origin and history of 
these remarkable works are entirely unknown. The 
Indians can give no account of them, and there is no 
historical record, or tradition concerning them. Some 
have supposed they were built by a people, who have 
long since become extinct ; others, that they were built 
by the ancestors of the Indians. The subject however 
is still in utter obscurity. 

In the mounds are found axes and other utensils, or- 
naments of stone, idols, potter's ware, mirrors made of 
isinglass, some silver, copper, and, in a very few instan- 
ces, iron. 

In Virginia, about fourteen miles below Wheeling, near 
the Ohio, is a mound three hundred feet in diameter at 
the bottom, sixty at the top, and seventy feet high. It 
has been opened far enough to ascertain, that it encloses 
thousands, of human skeletons. 



CHAPTER XLIII. 

Political organization of the States, and of the United 

States. 

i Each of the twenty-four states has a constitution, 
laws, and government of its own. By the constitution 
of a state is meant the written system or frame of gov- 
ernment, which the people of such state have adopted, 
j It is a fundamental principle of the governments of the 
' states and of the United States, that all political authority 
12 



138 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

or power resides originally in the people ; and that the 
people have a right, of which none may lawfully deprive 
them, to adopt whatever form of government they may 
choose ; and to change and alter such form, whenever 
in their opinion the publick good requires it. The 
constitutions of the several states, with some leaser dif- 
ferences, are very much alike. They all establish what 
is called a republican form of government ; that is, a 
government, in which the people choose their own rul- 
ers for limited periods. A government of this kind is 
also called a representative government, because the per- 
sons who hold offices in such a government, represent 
the people, or in other words, make use of the authority 
which the people have given them. 

The chief magistrate in each of the states is called 
the Governor. He is usually chosen for one year, 
though in some of the states he is chosen for a longer 
time. In each of the states there is a legislature, con- 
sisting, with one or two exceptions, of two bodies or 
houses, one called the House of Representatives, Dele- 
gates, or Assembly, and the other, the Senate. The leg- 
islature determines what laws shall be made, but no act 
of the legislature ordinarily becomes a law, till it is ap- 
proved by the Governor. Each state also has a su- 
preme court of its own, with inferiour courts, for the 
administration of justice according to the constitution and 
laws. 

Although the several states are sovereign and inde- 
pendent, with distinct laws and governments of their own, 
they are yet closely united together so as to form in 
fact one nation. It is on the preservation of this Union, 
that the safety and prosperity of the country essentially 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 139 

depend. Beside the separate state governments, there- 
fore, there is a general or national government, which is 
properly the government of the United States. The 
written instrument, or articles of Union, by which the 
duties and powers of the general government are pre- 
scribed and determined, is called the Constitution of the 
United States. It is also called the Federal Constitu- 
tion. The purpose of this Constitution is to assign to the 
general government such duties and powers only as 
more especially relate to the general welfare, that is, to 
the welfare of the United States as a nation. 

The general government, or as it is otherwise called, 
the federal government, has the power of declaring war 
and making peace, of raising armies and maintaining a 
navy, of making treaties with foreign nations, of laying 
duties on goods and merchandise, of regulating commerce, 
coining money, establishing post offices and post roads, 
of punishing piracy and other crimes, committed on the 
high seas, with many other important powers. The gen- 
eral government has the disposal of the vast unsettled 
territories of the United States, and the sole power of 
making new states and admitting them into the Union. 
The forts on the frontiers as well as at the entrances of 
harbours, and all the light houses along our shores, are 
owned and maintained by the United States. 

The government of the United States, like the govern- 
ments of the individual states, is divided by the constitu- 
tion into three principal branches ; viz, the legislative^ the 
executive^ and the judiciary. The legislative branch or 
the Congress, as it is called, consists of a Senate and 
House of Representatives. To Congress belongs the 
power of making laws, according to the constitution. 



140 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

At the head of th<^ executive branch is the President, 
whose office corresponds, in many respects, to that of a 
governour of a particular state. The President has the 
general oversight and direction of the affairs of the Uni- 
on, and is by far the most important officer of the gener- 
al government. The judiciary comprises the courts of 
the United States, whose duty it is to interpret the laws 
of the Union, and to administer justice according to 
them. But the several branches of government require 
a more particular consideration. 

What is meant by the constitution of a state ? 

On what fundamental principle are our state and national governments 

founded ? 
Vv^hat is said of the resemblance of the state constitutions to each other ? 
What sort of governments do they establish ? 
What do you mean by a republican or representative government 7 To 

which of the United States do you belong 1 ^ 

In what manner and for how long a term, is the governour of your state 

chosen ?* Has he a council;, and of what number does it consist? 
Of how many branches does the legislature of your state consist? 
What number of members in each branch, and how are they chosen ? 
At what tim.e of the year, and in what place does the legislature meet ? 
How are the judges of your state appointed ? 
Row long do they hold their office ? 
How are the military officers chosen or appointed ? 
Who are legal voters in the state to which you belong ? 
When did your state become independent, or when was it admitted into 

the Union ? 
What do you understand by the constitution of the United States ? 
When was this constitution framed, and for what purpose ? 
Into how many principal branches is the general government divided; 

and what are they called ? 
To what does the office of President correspond, and what are its duties? 
What power belongs to Congress ? What duty is assigned to the courts ? 



CHAPTER XLIV. 

Legislature or Congress. 

The legislature of the United States consists of a Sen- 
ate and House of Representatives. Each of these bod- 

* The answer to this question, and to the eight questions immediately 
following it, must be sought in some other work. 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 141 

ies takes a part in the making of all the laws of the United 
States, and has other powers and duties. 

The Senate is composed of two Senators from each 
of the States, chosen by their respective legislatures for 
the term of six years. The Vice President of the 
United States is President of the Senate, and regulates 
its debates and proceedings ; but he has no vote on any 
question, unless the Senate be equally divided. The 
Senate must be consulted bv the President in the ratifi- 
cation of treaties, and in the appointment of many officers. 
The President may nominate persons for office, but the 
Senate must approve the nomination, before an appoint- 
ment can be made.^ The Senate has the sole power 
of trying impeachments. That is, if the President, a 
Judge, or other civil officer be complained of by the 
House of Representatives for wrong and unjust practices 
in office, the Senate is the court by whom he must be 
tried. If found guilty, he may be removed from his 
office, and be forever after incapable of holding any 
office under the United States. 

The House of Representatives consists of members, 
chosen by the people of the several states, for the term 
of two years. Each state has a right to send a number 
of representatives to Congress, according to the number 
of its inhabitants ; but in the choice of representatives, 
five slaves are counted as equal to three free persons. 
The House of Representatives choose their own speaker, 
and other necessary officers. They have also the sole 
power of making impeachments ; that is, of bringing civil 

* The appointment of many inferior officers is regulated by law in a 
different manner. They are appointed by the President alone or by other 
officers. The present ratio of representation is one representative for 
every forty thousand inhabitants. 

12* 



142 VIEW OF THE UNi'TEi) STATES* 

officers before the Senate to be tried for mis-conduct in 
office. Each house, or body, keeps a journal of its pro- 
ceedings, and has rules established for regulating the 
transaction of business. Each house appoints standing 
committees on the most important subjects, such as the 
revenue, the publick lands, commerce, the army, navy, 
&LC. These committees after considering the subjects 
referred to them, report to the house to which they re- 
spectively belong, what in their opinion is best to be 
done, or what laws it is best to make concerning the sub- 
jects they have considered. 

The general method of making laws is this. A bill, 
or writing, containing the words of the law proposed to be 
made, is by leave introduced into one of the houses of 
Congress, either by a committee to whom the subject 
has been referred, or by an individual member. This 
bill is read twice. If the House agree to take the bill 
into further consideration, it is discussed or debated by 
such members as choose to speak upon it. Every mem- 
ber has an opportunity to propose such alterations as he 
pleases, and to give reasons why the bill ought or ought 
not to become a law. If after consideration, the bill, 
either with or without amendment, be agreed to by a 
majority of the House, it is sent to the other House to 
he treated in a similar manner. If it be agreed to by a 
majority of tHs other House, it is then sent to the Presi- 
dent of the United States ; and if he approve and sign it? 
the bill becomes a law. But if he refuse to sign it, he 
returns it with objections ; and it cannot become a law, 
unless after fceing fully considered again by both Houses 
of Congress, two-thirds of each house agree to it. In 
this case it becomes a la,w without being signed by the 
President. If the President however do not return the 



VIEW OF THE UNITEI> STATES. 143 

bill within ten days, (Sunday excepted) it becomes a 
law, the same as if he had signed it, unless he is prevent- 
ed from returning it by an adjournment of Congress. 

Congress is obliged to assemble at least once every 
year, and the meeting must be on the first Monday in 
December, unless a different day shall be appointed by 
law. Each house judges of the elections, returns, and 
qualifications of its own members, and a majority of each 
must be present in order to do business ; but a smaller 
number may adjourn from day to day, and compel the 
attendance of absent members. 

Of whom is the Senate of the United States composed ? 

In what manner, and for how long a time, are the Senators chosen ? 

Who presides when the Senate is assembled ? 

Has he a vote on any question ? 

On what subjects must the Senate be consulted by the President? 

At what trials must the Senate sit as a court ? 

What punishment can the Senate inflict on persons found guilty t 

Of whom is the House of Representatives composed 1 

By whom and for how long a period are they chosen 1 

How many representatives to congress are chosen in the state to iwrhich 

you belong ? 
What is the general method of making laws 7 
How may a bill become a law without the President's signature ? 
iBeside taking a part in making laws, what other powers belong to the^ 

House of Representatives ? 
How often and at what time is Congress required to assemble t 



CHAPTER XLV. 

The President and J^ice President, — Heads of Depart- 
ments. 

The President and Vice President of the United 
States are chosen for the term of four years, and in the 
following manner. Each state appoints, in such manner 
as it may determine, a number of electors equal to the 
whole number of senators and representatives to which it 



144 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

is entitled in Congress. These electors meet in their 
respective states on the same day throughout the Union, 
and vote by ballot for President and Vice President, one 
of whom at least, must not be an inhabitant of the same 
state with themselves. The person who has the greatest 
number of votes for President is chosen, provided such 
number be a majority of the whole number of electors 
appointed in all the states. But if no person has this 
majority, the house of Representatives in Congress choose 
by ballot one of the three, who have the highest number 
of votes, to be the President. At this election, however, 
the vote is taken by states, the representation from each 
state having one vote. If no person voted for as Vice 
President have a majority of all the votes, the Vice 
President is elected by the Senate of the United States 
out of the two who have the highest number of votes. 
If the President be removed by death, or become in any 
way incapable of discharging the duties of his office, the 
Vice President is to supply his place. 

The powers and duties of the President are very va- 
rious and important. He is commander in chief of the 
army and navy of the United States ; he has power, with 
* the advice and consent of the Senate, to make treaties 
with foreign nations, provided two thirds of the Senate 
concur ; he has the right to nominate, and with the con- 
sent of the Senate, to appoint ambassadors, and other 
puT)lic ministers to foreign countries ; to appoint consuls 
to reside at foreign cities for the purpose of protecting 
commerce ; to appoint Judges of the Supreme Court and 
of the inferior courts of the United States ; to appoint 
officers of the army and navy, collectors of the customs, 
and other officers connected with the revenue ; to ap- 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 145 

point the governors and judges of the organized territo- 
ries, and a great number of other officers, who hold their 
places under the authority of the United States. 

The President from time to time, gives Congress 
information of the state of the Union, and recommends 
to their consideration such measures as he thinks needful 
and expedient ; and in extraordinary cases, he can con- 
vene both houses of Congress, or either of them. 

To assist the President in carrying on the executive 
branch of the governmeut, there are four departments, 
established by law, the officers of which are appointed 
by him, and called Heads of Departments. 

The first department is called the Department of 
State ; it consists of a Secretary of State, a chief clerk, 
and a number of inferiour clerks. 

The Secretary of State has the keeping of all the acts 
and resolutions passed by Congress. These he causes 
to be recorded in books provided for that purpose. He 
keeps the seal of the United States, and affixes it to the 
commissions of all officers under the general government. 
Under the direction of the President, he has the care of 
all correspondence with foreign nations ; of giving instruc- 
tions to our ministers and consuls abroad ; and of con- 
ducting negotiations with the public ministers, who are 
sent hither from foreign governments. These are all 
very important duties, since questions of peace and war, 
may often depend on skilfully performing them. 

The next department is that of the Treasury. It 
consists of a Secretary of the Treasury, two Comptrol- 
lers, five Auditors, a Register, Treas^irer, and several 
inferiour officers. This department has the care of the 
publick revenue, the collection and expenditure of the 



146 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

publick money ; but no money can be drawn from the 
treasury without a previons appropriation by law. Con- 
nected with this department are the collectors of the 
customs throughout the Union, and the agents for the 
sale of publick lands. The Secretary of the Treasury 
has the particular oversight and inspection of commerce. 

The third Department is called the Department of 
War. The principal officer of this department is the 
Secretary of War. He has the oversight and manage- 
ment of the army of the United States : provides the 
soldiers with supplies, and under the direction of the 
President, appoints the places where they shall be sta- 
tioned. The erection and repairs of fortresses, forts and 
arsenals are under the direction of the Secretary of War. 

The fourth department is that of the Navy, The 
Secretary of the Navy has the general oversight, care 
and management of all the ships of war, publick vessels, 
and naval stores of the United States. The navy yard, 
the building of new vessels, the repairs of old ones, and 
the manning, equiping and employing of these ves^ 
sels, are under his direction. To assist him in the dis- 
charge of these important duties, three experienced 
officers of the Navy are appointed, called the Board of 
Commissioners for the Navy. 

The heads of these four Departments, together with 
the Attorney General of the United States,"^ compose 
what is commonly called the President's Cabinet. He 
consults them as he chooses in the discharge of his du- 
ties, and may require, when he pleases, their opinions in 
writing upon any subjects relating to the duties of their 
respective offices. 

* The Attorney General manages the causes before the Supreme Court, 
in which the United States aie a party. 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 147 

Besides the four departments already mentioned, tiiere 
is another, connected with the executive branch of the 
general government, called the Post Office Department. 
The person at the head of this department, is called the 
Postmaster General, and, like the other heads of Depart- 
ments, is appointed by the President. The Postmaster 
General establishes Post Offices wherever he deems it 
expedient, and appoints Postmasters to keep them. He 
also provides for carrying the mail into all the different 
parts of the country. 

The master of the mint, who superintends the coining 
of money, is also appointed by the President, 

For discharging properly the duties of President of 
the United States, great knowledge, talents, and experi- 
ence are indispensable ; and even these qualifications are 
not sufficient, without great integrity and virtue. 

For how long a term are the President and Vice President of the United 
States chosen ? 

In what manner are they chosen respectively ? 

When the choice of President is made by the Representatives in Congress, 
in what manner do they vote ? 

When no person has a majority of votes for Vice President, how is the 
Vice President chosen ? 

When does he take the President's place ? 

What are the duties of the President i 

AVhat duties are assigned to the Secretary of state ? To the Secretary of 
the Treasury ? To the Secretary of War ? To the Secretary of the Na- 
vy ? 

Who are the President's cabinet ? 

What duties are assigned to the Postmaster General ? To the master of 
the mint ? 

What duties are performed by the Attorney General ? 



CHAPTER XLVI. 

Judiciary. — Remarks, 

The Supreme Court of the United States consists of 
a chief Justice and six associate Justices, who are ap- 



148 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

pointed by the President, with the consent of the Senate, 
and who hold their offices during good behaviour. It is 
this august tribunal, which binds the Union firmly to- 
gether, by preventing the general government or the gov- 
ernments of the individual states from passing the limits 
prescribed to them by the constitution. 

Besides the Supreme Court, there are other inferiour 
courts of the United States, called Circuit Courts and 
District Courts. The United States are divided into 
districts, a state generally being one district, though some 
of the largest states comprise two districts. In each of 
these districts a Judge is appointed by the President, for 
the purpose of holding stated courts called District courts. 
The United States are also divided into seven circuits ; 
e?ch judge of the Supreme Court has one circuit, and 
holds courts in each district of his circuit, the Judge of 
the district sitting with him as an assistant. 

All cases in which the United States are a party, are 
managed before the courts, either by the Attorney Gen- 
eral of the United States, or by other persons, called 
district Attorneys. The courts which have been de- 
scribed, have jurisdiction in all cases in law or equity, 
arising under the constitution and laws of the United 
States, and under treaties made with foreign nations ; in 
all controversies to which the United States are a party ; 
in disputes between two or more states, between citizens 
of different states, and in other important cases. Per- 
sons not satisfied with decisions in the District or Cir- 
cuit courts, may appeal, except in cases of trials for 
crime, to the Supreme Court. 

From the view, which has been given of the Consti- 
tion of the United States, it appears, that as a nation we 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 149 

are placed under a form of government, eminently adapt- 
ed to promote the general welfare. It is not easy to 
conceive in what manner more judicious provisions could 
be made for the passage of good and wholesome laws, and 
for the prosperous administration of government, than 
are made by the Constitution. 

Both houses of Congress have a voice in the passage 
of every law of the United States. The members of 
the House of Representatives, as has been already stated, 
are chosen by the people for the term of two years. No 
person can be a member, unless he is twenty-five years 
of age, and a citizen of the United States ; that is, either 
an inhabitant born in the country or made a citizen on de- 
claring his approbation of the constitution and promising 
to support it. Thus the people have the liberty of 
choosing wise and good men to be their representatives 
in Congress. 

The people of each state choose persons to make 
their own state laws ; and these persons choose the Sen- 
ators to Congress for the state to which they belong. 
Although the Senators are now chosen for the term of 
six years, yet when the present form of government went 
into operation, the Senate was divided into three classes 
in such a manner, as to require a third part of the Sen- 
ate to be chosen anew every two years. "^ No person 
can be a Senator of the United States, unless he is thir- 
ty years of age, and a citizen. It seems as if very wise 
and prudent arrangements were made to secure an able 
and upright Senate in Congress. 

* The term of the first class wels two years, that of the second four 
i years, that of the third six yeai-s. 

13 



150 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

The legislatures of the several states, or else the peo- 
ple themselves, choose the persons who are to elect the 
President, and no person can be President till he is 
thirty-five years of age, nor unless he is a native born 
citizen."^ Thus provision is made for placing at the 
head of the government, if the people choose to do it, 
the wisest, best, and most suitable person in the country. 
Moreover the Judges of the Supreme Court and of the 
inferiour Courts of the United States are appointed by 
the President, with the consent of the Senate, to hold 
their office as long as they live, provided their behaviour 
in office is good. They cannot be turned out of office, 
unless they are tried and condemned by the Senate. 
Thus it appears that the best arrangement is made to se- 
cure the appointment of upright and able Judges, and 
that the tenure by which they hold their office is such, 
as to secure in the best manner an independent, impar- 
tial and faithful administration of justice. 

It is not possible, perhaps, for the people of this, or of 
any other country, to form a better government than the 
one under which we are living. The powers and duties of 
the several branches of the government, the rights of the 
states, and of individual citizens, are so carefully and 
properly defined, and tlie whole system is so well pro- 
vided with checks and balances, as to secure, one would 
think, if any form of government can secure, the pros- 
perity of the nation. 

But it must never be forgotten that no form of gov- 
ernment can of itself make a nation prosperous and hap- 

* The words of the Constitution are these : ^' No person, except a natu- 
ral born citizen, or a citizen of the United States at the time of the adop- 
tion of this constitution, shall be eligible to the office of President." It 
is now so long since the constitution was adopted, that no person except 
a natire citizen has any chance of being elected. 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 151 

py. It must never be forgotten, that in a free govern- 
ment like ours, in which the people have all the power, 
and choose their own rulers, general intelligence and 
virtue among the people are absolutely requisite to the 
general welfare. An ignorant people know not how to 
make a proper selection of rulers. They are continu- 
ally liable to be imposed upon by crafty and aspiring 
men, seeking places of honour, authority, and profit, for 
their own good, and not for the people's. A people 
without virtue will, of course, choose men without virtue 
to govern them ; and we have good authority for say- 
ing, that " when the wicked beareth rule, the people 
mourn," and are unhappy."^ 

The governments of the individual states, as well as 
the government of the United States, have all been 
framed and established on the principle that they were 
to be supported and maintained by the intelligence and 
virtue of the people; but no people can be intelligent 
and virtuous without institutions of knowledge, and of 
religion, to make them so. It is essentially important, 
therefore, that good schools, the publick worship of God, 
and publick instruction in religion and morality, be es- 
tablished and maintained throughout the United States. 
It is essential to the preservation of civil liberty and to a 
righteous administration of government from age to age, 
that our youth be early and deeply impressed with the 
fear of God, with a sense of responsibility to him, with 
the value of truth, with the conviction that virtue and 
happiness are connected, diat " righteousness exalteth a 
nation, and that sin 'm a reproach to any people. "f 

^ Prov. 29, 2. 
I Prov. 14, 34, 



152 VIEW OF THR UNITED STATES. 

Of whom is the Supreme Court composed ? 

What is said of the influence of this august tribunal ? 

What other courts of the United States ? 

Give an account of each. 

In what cases have the courts of the United States jurisdiction ? 



What remark is made upon the form of government under which we are 
liivng ? 

How old must a person be before he can be chosen a Representative in 
Congress ? 

How old before he can be a Senator of the United States ? 

How old before he can be a President ? 

What is said of the provision made for the appointment of Judges, and 
for the administration of justice ? 

What besides a good government is requisite to make a nation prosperous 
and happy ? 

How are the state and national governments to be supported and main- 
tained ? 

What is necessaiy to render the people intelligent and virtuous ? 

What is essential to the preservation of civil liberty, and to a righteoiis 
administration of government from age to age ? 



CHAPTER XLVIL 

Conclusion. — Address to the Youth of the United States. 

In the last chapter some notice was taken of the prin- 
ciples and virtues by which the blessings and privileges, 
enjoyed by the people of the United States, are to be 
continued and transmitted from age to age. I propose 
in this concluding chapter to call your attention more 
particularly to the character and duties of a good repub- 
lican citizen. 

No youth can read and understand the constitution of 
the United States, nor the constitution of the particular 
state to which he belongs, without perceiving that very 
important duties are assigned to the people. In other 
words, the people have taken upon themselves very im- 
portant duties in relation to the government under which 
they live. They have determined for themselves what 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 



153 



the form of this government shall be, and they claim and 
exercise the sole right to choose persons to administer it, 
and to make laws under it. The people of this country, 
under the Providence of God, are the guardians of their 
own privileges, and consequently of their own happiness. 
The happiness of the people as a nation is essentially 
connected with a faithful and wise administration of the 
government^ but in order to such an administration of 
the government, faithful and wise men must be chosen 
into office. 

Every citizen of the United States, then, enjoying the 
right of suffrage, has important duties to perforin in rela- 
tion to the votes he gives in the choice of rulers. These 
duties, like all other duties, should be performed in the 
spirit of truth and integrity. In giving his vote or ballot 
he should consider himself as highly responsible, as un- 
dertaking to discharge a moral, as well as civil, duty. If 
he gives his vote for a person whom he does not believe 
to be an upright and capable man, he does wrong ; he 
does wrong to himself and his country ; he puts in jeop- 
ardy, so far as his own influence goes, his political privi- 
leges. He neglects to act as a faithful guardian of his 
own welfare and that of his countrymen. 

Men under the influence of party spirit are apt to 
suppose that their political duties are not moral duties ; 
that in discharging these duties tliey may act as they 
please"; that their civil liberty gives them the absolute 
right to vote for such persons as they are inclined to vote 
for. But it is very important, my young friends, that 
every person, having the right of suffrage, consider him- 
self morally bound to exercise this right in an honest and 
conscientious manner. Whenever, therefore, you shall 



to' 



154 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES/ 

come to be of age to vote for persons to fill important 
stations in the government, you must act as really in the 
fear of God, as in performing other important duties. 
You must never give your vote or voice in favour of 
persons whom you do not believe to be capable and 
worthy. You must consider it not only as unwise and 
unsafe, but absolutely immoral, to intrust the publick wel- 
fare to the management of persons to whom you would 
be unwilling to confide your own private concerns. He 
who is not faithful in that which is least, certainly will 
not be faithful in that which is greatest. He that is dis- 
honourable, selfish, and fraudulent in private life, will be 
very unlikely to sustain a different character in publick 
life. 

But the duties of a good republican citizen are not all, 
nor chiefly, comprised in an honest and conscientious 
exercise of the right of suffrage. There are other duties 
to be performed, and other virtues to be cherished and 
maintained, beside those which relate to the choice of 
rulers ; duties and virtues which cannot be overlooked 
and neglected, without putting at hazard all the privileges 
which render ^this country peculiarly dear to the friends 
of liberty. If you would be good republican citizens, you 
must cherish and maintain good republican principles and 
habits. In the Declaration of Independence, made and 
published by the Congress at Philadelphia in 1776, it is 
stated as a self-evident truth, '' that all men are created 
equal." Our republican government is established upon 
this truth. No man can exercise an undue influence 
over another without violating this principle of liberty ; 
and all affectation of stateliness and display, which is 
calculated to render those in humbler circumstances 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES.. 155 

discontented with their lot, is anti-republican. A real 
republican is a right plain man — plain in dress, plain in 
manners, plain in speech, and plain in all his arrangements. 
He is a man who cares much more for the publick good 
than for his own private advantage ; who would rather 
die than be a slave, and has no special desire to be a 
lord, nor a king, nor a president. Among the most im- 
portant republican virtues is economy, or frugality. It 
is not to be expected that the great body of the people 
of any country will be rich. If they are furnished with 
the means of comfortable subsistence, and at the same 
time are making a prudent u^e of these means, they 
ought to be considered as a prosperous and happy people. 
The general practice of economy would have an obvious 
tendency to preserve that equality among men which is 
favourable to the support of free, republican institutions, 
and without which they cannot be maintained in fact, 
though they may be inform. A man of economy, who 
is at the same time a friend to republican principles, 
contrives to husband his resources so as to be master of 
himself. If his income is small, he is careful not to have 
an excess of wants. He adapts his mode of living to his 
^ means of living ; contents himself with a little, and is as 
truly a freeman as his wealthier neighbour. His opinions 
are his own, his vote is his own, and he cannot be cor- 
rupted by treats, threats, nor promises. He relinquishes 
nothing of self-respect, nothing of dignity, nothing of 
honour, nothing of integrity, nothing of true love of coun- 
try, because he is not rich, or because he is poor. He 
is thankful that he lives in a land of liberty; thankful, 
also, that he is not a slave to artificial wants, and to 
desires which he cannot answer ; thankful that his wants 



156 VIEW OF THE UN1TE1> STATES. 

and desires are conformed to his means. Such a man 
is a republican in the best sense of the word ; he knows 
by experience what liberty is. 

It is highly important, my young friends, that you early 
acquire and establish habits of economy in matters of 
expense. It is important to your own personal welfare 
— to your success in the world, as well as to the welfare 
of your country. Young people are apt to entertain 
extravagant and absurd notions of life— to estimate their 
enjoyments by the money they cost — to choose enjoy- 
ments which are expensive, and connected with display. 
But you may depend upon it, the most valuable enjoy- 
ments are easily obtained ; they cost but little money, 
and are within the reach of all, of the poor as well as 
of the rich. If a person's design is to secure such privi- 
leges and enjoyments only as are connected with virtue, 
with sobriety, with intellectual improvement, with 
elevation of character, he may carry his design into 
operation with very limited funds. It is dissipation, sen- 
sual enjoyments, enjoyments which have no good moral 
tendency — it is sucli enjoyments as these that cost money 
and that very often put young persons upon disagreeable 
and dishonourable expedients to meet their expenses. 
The truth is, men's dispensahle wants, wants which their 
own folly have created, or wdiich the absurd customs of 
society have imposed — these wants are all expensive ; 
and they do more than a little to prevent young people 
from rising in the world — to bring on failures, discour- 
agements, habits of intemperance, and crimes. 

Finally, my young friends, I would have you prize 
your condition as citizens of the United States, not for 
the prospects of wealth which the country presents, but 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 157 

for the superiour means it furnishes of forming and per- 
petuating an intelligent, moral, and religious people. I 
would have it deeply impressed on your minds, that the 
same wisdom and virtue which achieved the independ- 
ence of the country must preserve it — ^that " liberty and 
the pursuit of happiness" cannot be secured to the na- 
tion, and transmitted from age to age without a steady 
pursuit of their moral and intellectual attainments, with 
which the publick happiness is essentially connected. I 
would have you always look upon selfish ambition, prod- 
igality, and vice of every name, not only as wrong in the 
sight of God, but as injurious to your country ; not only 
as immoral but as anti-republican. 

What duties have the people taken upon themselves, in relation to the 
government ? 

Of what are they, under Providence, the guardians ? 

With v/hat is the happiness of the people as a nation connected ? 

How^ must a faithful and wise administration of government be secured ? 

How must the duties of voting be performed ? 

What views are men apt to have of their political duties ? 

In what manner is a citizen morally bound to exercise the right of suf- 
frage 1 

For whom must you not vote, and for what reason ? 

On what self-evident truth is our government founded ? 

When is this principle of liberty violated ? 

What is the character of a real republican ? 

What is among the most important republican virtues ? 

What would be the obvious tendency of the general practice of economy ? 

How does an economical republican husband his resources ? 

W^hat is said of his opinions, his vote, and integrity, &:.c. ? 

For what is he thankful ? 

What notions are young people apt to entertain ? 

How are they apt to estimate and choose enjoyments ? 

What is said of the most valuable enjoyments ? 

What enjoyments and wants are always expensive ? 

What do they prevent, and what tend to bring on ? 

For what should you prize your condition as citizens of the United States 1 



QUESTIONS ON THE MAP OF THE UNITED STATES. 



What states and territory border on the Atlantick T What on the Gulf of 
Mexico ? 

What states and territories border on the great Lakes ? What is the di- 
rection of the coast from Florida to Maine ? 

How is Maine bounded? New-Hampshire? Vermont? Massachusetts? 
Rhode Island? Connecticut? New-York ? New-Jersey? Pennsylva- 
nia? Delaware? Maryland? Virginia? North-Carolina ? South-Caroli- 
na ? Georgia ? the Territory of Florida ? Alabama ? Missisippi ? Lou- 
isiana ? Tennessee ? Kentucky ? Ohio ? Indiana ? Illinois ? Missouri ? 
Michigan Territory ? Huron Territory ? Arkansas Territory ? 

What territory extends farthest west ? How is it bounded ? 

Which way is Maine from liOuisiana ? from Michigan ? 

Which way is Georgia from Louisiana ? From Illinois ? From Maine ? 

Which way is Missouri from Georgia ? From Virginia and Maryland ? 
From Louisiana ? 

Which way is Tennessee from Ohio^ and Indiana ? From the Gulf of 
Mexico? 

Which way is Missisippi from Illinois? From Georgia? From New- 
York ? From Missouri ? 

Which way is South-Carolina from Ohio ? From Missisippi ? From Mas- 
sachusetts ? From Indiana ? 

Which way is Rhode-Island from New-Hampshire ? From Pennsylvania ? 
From New-York ? From Virginia ? 

Which way is Connecticut from Vermont ? From Maryland ? From 
Ohio? 

Which way is New- York from Virginia and Maryland ? From Michi- 
gan ? 

Which way is New-Jersey from Ohio ? From Maine ? 

Which way is Delaware from New- York ? 

W^hich way is Pennsylvania from Maine ? From Indiana ? From North- 
Carolina ? From Lake Ontario ? 

Between what states is the District of Columbia ? 



CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE, 



1585. Unsuccessful attempt to establish a colony at Ro* 
anoke on the coast of North-Carolina. 

1607. First permanent colony lands in Virginia. 

Unsuccessful attempt to establish a colony on the 
coast of Maine near the mouth of the Kennebeck, 

1610. The Dutch build a fort near the mouth of the Hud- 
son, and found the town of New- Amsterdam, 
afterwards New- York. 

1620. The pilgrims land at Plymouth. 

1623. First settlement on the Piscataqua. 

1628. Colony of Massachusetts Bay. Salem founded. 

1630. Boston founded. 

1632. Charter of Maryland granted. 

1634. First colony arrives in Maryland. 

1635. First settlements in Connecticut. 

1636. Colony of Providence founded. Swedes settle on 

the Delaware. 

1638. Settlement of Rhode-Island. Colony of New- 
Haven planted. 

1644. Providence and Rhode-Island united. 

1655. The Dutch conquer the Swedish settlements on 
the Delaware. 

1663. Charter of Carolina granted. 

1664. The Dutch settlements are conquered by the Eng- 

lish. Colonies of New- York and New-Jersey. 
1677. New-Jersey divided into East and West Jersey. 
Maine purchased by Massachusetts of the heirs 
of Gorges. 

1680. City of Charleston founded. New-Hampshire erect- 

ed into a distinct province. 

1681. Charter of Pennsylvania granted. 

1682. Penn lands on the Delaware and founds the city of 

Pennsylvania. 



156 CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE. 

1701. Delaware erected into a distinct jurisdiction. 

1702. The Jerseys are re-united and become a royal prov- 

ince. 

1717. City of New-Orleans founded by the French. 

1723. Fort Dummer built — the first settlement in Ver- 
mont. 

1732. Colony of Georgia planted. 

1773. First settlements in Kentucky begin. 

1776. The United States declare themselves independent 

1783. Peace with Great Britain. 

1788. Settlements begin at Marietta on the Ohio. 

1789. George Washington first President, under the new 

constitution. 

1791. Vermont admitted to the Union. 

1792. Kentucky admitted to the Union. 

1796. Tennessee admitted to the Union. 

1797. John Adams second President. 

1801. Thomas Jefferson third President. 

1802. Ohio admitted to the Union. 

1803. Louisiana purchased by the United States. 
1809. James Madison fourth President. 

1812. Louisiana admitted to the Union. 

1816. Indiana admitted to the Union. 

1817. Missisippi admitted to the Union. James Munroe 

fifth President. 

1818. Illinois admitted to the Union. 

1819. Alabama admitted to the Union. 

1820. Maine admitted to the Union. 

1821. Florida ceded to the United States. Missouri ad- 

mitted to the Union. 
1825. John Q. Adams sixth President. 
1829. Andrew Jackson seventh President. 



i 



CONTENTS 



Boundaries of the United States. — Appearance of the Country be- 
fore its Settlement by White Men - - - - - - 5 

Description of the Ancient Inhabitants 7 

Wild AnimalS; Birds, and Forest-trees 11 

Settlement of the Country by White People 16 

Extent of the United States. — Civil Divisions 18 

Surface of the United States 21 

Rivers of the Atlantick States - - - - - , - - 24 

Rivers of Missisippi Valley --28 

Lakes --..«. -34 

Seacoast 37 

Climate and Productions 40 

Inhabitants.— White People 43 

Blacks *.46 

Indians - - - 50 

Virginia - - - 55 

Massachusetts ->>60 

New-Hampshire -.54 

Connecticut 53 

Maryland - - - - tyi 

Rhode-Island ---------.74 

North-Carolina 7^ 

New- York lyg 

New-Jersey g^ 

Pennsylvania gty 

Delaware gj 

South-Carolina - - ^ -93 

Georgia g^ 

Reflections and Remarks 97 



'J 



162 CONTENTS. 

Vermont' - - \ \ 

Kentucky 10; 

Tennessee 105|, 

Ohio i07j 

Louisiana - 110 

Indiana ---- 112 

Missisippi 114 

Illinois 115 f 

Alabama 117 

Maine - - - - 118 

Missouri - - 121 

The Territories 123 

District of Columbia - - - - 126 

Curiosities 12L' 

Political Organization of the States and of the United States - - 137 

Legislature, or Congress 140 

The President and Vice President. — Heads of Departments - - 143 

Judiciary. — Ptomarks 147 

Conclusion. — Address to the Youth of the United States - - 152 

Questions on the Map of the United States 158 

Chronological Table - - 159 



